Mothers with postpartum depressive symptoms may face a higher risk of infant loss, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from 414,890 singleton births in New Jersey between 2016 and 2020 and found that infants born to mothers with postpartum depressive symptoms faced nearly triple the risk of dying before their first birthday compared with infants whose mothers did not report such symptoms. Organizations like Postpartum Support International can also help parents identify mental health resources in their community, she added.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined records from a statewide screening program that assesses mothers for depression in the immediate postpartum period using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. A score of 10 or higher was classified as indicating depressive symptoms. Among the infants included in the analysis, the mortality rate was 7.2 deaths per 1,000 births for babies whose mothers had depressive symptoms, compared with 2.0 deaths per 1,000 births among those whose mothers did not.
After accounting for factors including maternal age, race and ethnicity, education level, insurance status and infant characteristics, researchers found an adjusted relative risk of 2.89, indicating nearly a threefold increase in infant mortality risk. The association remained consistent across a range of demographic and socioeconomic groups, including maternal race and ethnicity, educational attainment and insurance status. Researchers also found that the increased risk persisted regardless of whether a baby was born preterm.
The study identified elevated risks across several of the leading causes of infant death. Maternal depressive symptoms were associated with more than four times the risk of infant deaths linked to prematurity-related conditions and nearly five times the risk of deaths related to perinatal conditions. Increased risks were also observed for deaths involving congenital abnormalities and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Overall, 906 infants in the study died before reaching one year of age. The leading causes of death included prematurity-related conditions, perinatal conditions, congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities and SIDS. The researchers said the findings underscore the importance of addressing maternal mental health as a public health priority.
Perinatal depression is the most common maternal morbidity and is estimated to affect up to one in five mothers during pregnancy or after childbirth. Woofter said several possible explanations could account for the link. One possibility is that depression during pregnancy could trigger physiological changes that influence fetal development and later infant health outcomes.
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