How an infant grows in a mother’s womb is just magical and heart-warming. But, its pure nature, the way a soul gives birth to a soul, is because of the same deep relation between a mother and their unborn child. So, researchers have been studying different topics, and recently, they are researching the connection between a mother with their infant.
They are focusing on how the relationship can be affected by a history of depression. Psychologists are digging deep to understand the relationship between infants and their mothers. They revolve around ‘if a pregnant mother is depressed during pregnancy, how will it affect the infant growing inside.
Experts conducted hundreds of experiments by examining and keeping track of different pregnant women’s moods and how it is fluctuating. Some studies were about the effects of a mother’s mood while pregnant and after having her baby. Furthermore, those studies revealed the significant impact of depression on a pregnant lady even before her pregnancy.
The studies revolved around concluding how depression and other mood affect their future relationship with their child. This study was conducted in the United Kingdom, where experts experimented with ladies having depression before their pregnancies and during their pregnancies. There were 131 women who came to the experiment willingly and were ready to get their depression tested.
The study revealed that 51 out of 131 ladies were feeling depressed during pregnancy. 28 were diagnosed with a history of depression. However, they confirmed they had a healthy pregnancy. The remaining ladies confirmed no history of depression.
How are researchers investigating the mother-infant relationship?
The experts started their research by first assessing an infant’s behaviour after six days of his/her birth. However, they were also investigating and observing every eight weeks or 12 weeks the relationship between the infant and their mother.
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How was the research done?
The total assessment was very adequately planned and executed. Researchers used an index that can measure dyadic synchrony.
This index is used to explain the quality of a relationship wholly.
The research proceeded with small short video clips of mothers while interacting with their infants. The experts focused on factors that include vocal expression, arousal, affection, body contact, and facial expression.
All the studies were filed up and wrote a conclusion. And, the decision read that both the ladies who had a history of depression and 51 ladies who had depression during pregnancy showed significantly less and minimum quality of affection and interaction with their infants at eight and twelve weeks.
While the pregnant ladies neither had any depression history nor faced any depression. During their pregnancy showed more love, affection, and interaction with their infants.
Moreover, talking about the study on the infants, infants from both groups showed minimal social-interactive behavior after six days of their birth.
Is there something that the study suggests after the mother-infant relationship experiments?
Humans go through depression, but anything too much is harmful, right? And, that is why experts suggest mental health treatment should be delivered to all the mothers who experience depression during pregnancy and those with a history of depression.
However, experts still say that this is not the end of their research on mom-infant relationships, and they will be digging deeper to get the root facts of this cause.
They also suggest mental health programs for parents and even families for a better relationship with their unborn baby.
Mental health should be the key priority of every human. We live a life not here to spend the time, so taking care of mental health is necessary. Talking about pregnant women, they anyway need extra care because that’s a person growing another person inside her. So her mental health should be taken care of properly.