An estimated 1 in 9 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression. These symptoms – including mood swings, fatigue and reduced interest in activities – can make it difficult for mothers to bond with their newborns.The authors show "a possible link between increasing depression symptoms in mothers and cellular damage in their infants" in the paper Infant HPA axis as a potential mechanism linking maternal mental health and infant telomere length they published in November 2017.
Some highlights from the article:
Worsening depression symptoms in mothers related to greater infant cortisol stress responses between 6 and 12 months of age. In addition, infants with higher cortisol stress responses were more likely to have shorter telomeres at 18 months of age, indicating greater cellular wear and tear.
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While these findings are preliminary and should be replicated with a larger group of infants, our results highlight how patterns of health across the lifespan may be influenced in the first 18 months of life. This early stress may put young children on track for the early onset of poor health outcomes.
The silver lining is that infancy is a sensitive developmental period, when humans are especially responsive to their environments. Fostering positive experiences between infants and their mothers – as well as providing affordable, scientifically supported treatment services for mothers experiencing depression – may allow infants to move toward a healthier life trajectory.
