A large population-based study published in JAMA Network Open has found an association between perinatal depressive symptoms and higher infant mortality rates. The research, which analysed linked records from more than 400,000 births in New Jersey, showed that infant mortality was 7.2 per 1,000 births for mothers who screened positive for depressive symptoms, compared to 2.0 per 1,000 for those who did not.
However, experts caution that the study does not prove that maternal depression causes infant deaths. Professor Asma Khalil, Professor of Obstetrics and Maternal Medicine, noted that the estimated association significantly reduced after adjusting for clinical factors such as smoking, substance use, preterm birth, and low birth weight. The relative risk fell from 3.36 to 1.97 after these adjustments.
Professor Stella Chan, Charlie Waller Chair in Evidence-Based Psychological Treatment, highlighted that infant deaths were primarily due to biological causes, including prematurity-related conditions and congenital malformations, which are largely beyond mothers' control. These serious infant health conditions could also contribute to postnatal distress and poorer mental health in mothers.
The study assessed depressive symptoms shortly after delivery, meaning mothers may have already known about their baby's health issues, which could cause both depressive symptoms and increase the risk of infant death. Researchers suggest that while these findings identify maternal depressive symptoms as a potential marker for families needing additional support, they do not demonstrate that treating maternal depression would reduce infant mortality.