The research illustrates the potential emotional distress experienced by both mothers and children when a strong emotional bond is absent between them.
Following childbirth, up to one-third of mothers struggle to establish strong emotional connections with their children, resulting in significant emotional distress for both mother and child. Recent research has unveiled a potential solution: teaching expectant mothers, especially those at risk of postpartum depression, to enhance their emotional awareness and regulation skills.
Dr. Anne Bjertrup presented her research at the ECNP Congress in Barcelona, where she discussed the importance of expectant mothers’ emotional perception and regulation. Previous studies revealed that some expectant mothers tended to perceive mostly negative emotions in connection to babies, even misinterpreting their emotions. Dr. Bjertrup aimed to train high-risk expectant mothers to counter this negative bias and improve their emotional responses during motherhood. The study included 45 expectant mothers from Copenhagen, with 23 at high risk for postpartum depression and 22 at low risk. After computer-based training sessions to cope with challenging emotions, high-risk women demonstrated significant improvements in recognizing happy baby expressions, displaying happier facial expressions themselves, and reacting less to infant distress signals.
The research suggests that training expecting mothers to be more sensitive to positive expressions and regain emotional control could reduce the risk of postpartum depression and contribute to healthier emotional development in infants. Dr. Bjertrup emphasized that this study is preliminary, with a larger trial including a control group underway. Bonding problems between mothers and infants can impact both individuals and families, potentially leading to difficulties in developing secure attachments and emotional closeness. Addressing bonding challenges is crucial, as they can result from various factors beyond postpartum depression, such as hormonal changes, stress, or past traumas.
Dr. Mijke Lambregtse-van den Berg, an Infant Mental Health Specialist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, praised the study for highlighting the significance of early mother-child bonding and training at-risk expectant mothers to recognize positive baby emotions. Reinforcing a positive mother-baby interaction could ultimately help prevent postpartum depression, benefiting both mothers and their children. In the European Union, over 4 million births occur annually, and over a million mothers and babies may experience bonding issues.