Maternal depressive symptoms are not linked to infant rest–activity patterns at six months

Postnatal maternal depression has been associated with changes in infant sleep/wake cycles, but the literature presents inconsistent results, especially when different assessment methods are used. This study investigated the association between postnatal maternal depressive symptoms and rest-activity rhythms in early childhood. Data from 179 mother-infant dyads were analysed, with maternal depressive symptoms assessed with the EPDS at postpartum and with the PHQ-9 when infants were six months of age, and infants` rest-activity rhythms measured through actigraphy using nonparametric variables (L5, M10 and RA). Multiple linear regression models were estimated, adjusting for infant sex, maternal age, socioeconomic level, maternal race/ethnicity, and gestational age. No statistically significant associations were found between both maternal depressive symptom scores and infant rest-activity rhythm variables after adjustment for covariates. These findings are consistent with studies suggesting that maternal depression may affect the perception of infant sleep more than its objective quality, reinforcing the importance of objective measures and the need for longitudinal studies using combined methods.