The facial expressions of depressed moms may have telltale effects on the mental health of their infants.
In a study of 84 three-month-old babies, psychologists found that infants with depressed mothers were significantly more likely to make sad or angry expressions, and less likely to look interested, than babies with nondepressed moms.
While the babies may be simply mimicking their moms' withdrawn or angry demeanor, University of Miami's Tiffany Field, Ph.D., and James Madison University's Jeffrey Pickens, Ph.D., think that the reason for the infants' negative affect may be far more complicated.
"Until recently, we've been blaming the mom-child interaction, but now we're seeing babies acting this way from birth," says Field. Seems that babies of depressed moms may be exposed to additional stress hormones, such as norepinephrine and cortisol, while in utero. At birth, these babies can be less responsive, display limited facial expressions, and show lower levels of activity.
