Early and Chronic Postnatal Depression, Maternal Sensitivity to Non‐Distress and Infant Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in an Indian Birth Cohort

This study examined whether findings from High-Income Countries (HIC) suggesting that (1) maternal postnatal depression (PND) is associated with poorer infant neurodevelopmental outcomes, (2) maternal sensitivity to non-distress (SND) is associated with improved outcomes, (3) SND may buffer the effect of PND, are present in India. Participants were from the Bangalore Child Health and Development Study (BCHADS), a prospective longitudinal cohort study starting in pregnancy (n = 337). Mothers self-reported depression symptoms on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; variables reflecting early PND (8 weeks) and chronic PND (factor score created from 8 weeks, 6, 12, 24 months) were examined. SND was coded from a semi-structured play observation at age 6 or 12 months. Infant neurodevelopment was assessed at 24 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Early PND, chronic PND or maternal SND were not associated with infant cognitive or language development in the whole sample, but in boys increased maternal SND was associated with improved language development. SND did not moderate associations between maternal PND and outcomes. A number of factors, such as parity, birthweight by gestational age, and the presence of an alternate caregiver, demonstrated small but significant sex-specific associations with neurodevelopment in exploratory analyses. Maternal SND was associated with improved language outcomes after accounting for multiple risks, but only in boys. Future work should examine whether broader aspects of the nurturing environment contribute to neurodevelopment in a sex-specific manner.