Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Parenting Practices 3-Months Postpartum

Maternal depressive symptoms negatively impact infant development and have been associated with suboptimal parenting practices. Using data from 2 postpartum depression trials (1 enrolled black and Latina mothers, the other enrolled white, and other minority mothers) we examined the association between postpartum depressive symptoms and early parenting practices among a racially/ethnically diverse group of mothers. We examined the association between safety practices (back sleep position, car seat use), feeding practices (breastfeeding, infant intake of cereal, juice, water), developmental practices (following routines), and health care practices (ER visits) with 3-month postpartum depression. Depression was assessed using the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EPDS≥10 vs. <10). This study includes 945 (of 1080 enrolled) mothers, who completed the baseline and 3-month surveys. Fifty percent were black or Latina, 33% had Medicaid insurance, and 30% were foreign born. Depressed mothers were less likely than nondepressed mothers: to have their infant use the back sleep position (61.8% vs. 78.9%, p=.0006), to always use a car seat (68.4% vs. 84.2%, p=.0004) and were more likely to feed their infants cereal, water, or juice (36.3% vs. 25.3%, p=.03) and to bring their babies for ER visits (25.9% vs. 15.8%, p=.02). After controlling for demographic and clinical factors, depressed mothers remained significantly less likely to have their infant use the back sleep position (adjusted OR=0.43 95% CI: 0.26-0.73) and less likely to always use a car seat (adjusted OR=0.44 95% CI: 0.24-0.79). Findings suggest the need to intervene early among mothers with depression and reinforce positive parenting practices.