A mother’s emotional relationship with her baby begins during her pregnancy. The mother’s feelings about her baby, described as bonding, typically grow and intensify after the baby’s birth and become the foundation of the mother’s relationship with her child.
Many studies have demonstrated an increased risk for depression among the children of mothers with depression. Exactly how this vulnerability to depression is transmitted to the child is not precisely understood. Genetic factors clearly play an important role, but there are other important factors which contribute to the intergenerational transmission of depression. For example, many studies have shown that postpartum depression may contribute to parenting styles which increase a child’s likelihood of developing depression later on. While the child appears to be particularly sensitive to the effects of maternal depression during the first year of life, it appears that older children are also affected by maternal depression and are more likely to suffer from depression and other psychiatric symptoms than children with non-depressed mothers.
While much attention has focused on the impact of maternal psychiatric illness on the well-being of the child, less is known about the impact of psychiatric illness in the father. A large population-based study from Norway examines the association between symptoms of psychological distress in expectant fathers and socioemotional and behavioral outcomes in their children at 36 months of age.
While much research has demonstrated that maternal depression may negatively affect the child, leading to increased risk of developmental delays, behavioral problems, and psychiatric illness. Less research, however, has detailed the impact of paternal depression; several recent studies have focused on better understanding the risk factors for paternal depression and how paternal depression affects children.
About 10-30% of children have functional somatic symptoms (FSS). These are physical complaints, such as headaches, pain, fatigue, and dizziness, that cannot be explained medically. A new study suggests that when a child is exposed to depression or anxiety in the mother during the first year of life, he or she is more likely to report these somatic symptoms later on.
While we have data on the use of lithium use during pregnancy with regard to risk for congenital malformations, there is much less information on the long-term effects of lithium on neurodevelopment. A recent study from the Perinatal Center of the Leiden University Medical Center provides some reassuring data on the long-term effects of lithium exposure.
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or “Ecstasy” is one of the most widely used illicit recreational drugs among young adults. This report indicates that infants exposed to Ecstasy ad other recreational drugs may have delays in their motor development.
A few weeks after the FDA called into question the association between SSRI exposure and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn or PPHN, BMJ published another article supporting an increased risk of PPHN among infants exposed to SSRIs in utero.
In 2006, Chambers and colleagues published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine linking SSRI use during late pregnancy to an increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn (PPHN). Based on these findings, the “Usage in Pregnancy” section on the labels for SRRI antidepressants was updated to include the following warning: “Infants exposed to SSRIs in late pregnancy may have an increased risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).”
It is now estimated that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect about 1% to 2% of the population. Data derived from twin and sibling studies indicate that ASD is highly heritable. While genetic factors clearly play an important role, other studies point to an interplay between environmental and genetic factors in the etiology of this disorder. Over the years, various environmental exposures have been implicated, including vaccinations, mercury, and insecticides; however, it has been difficult to generate solid evidence linking specific environmental factors with increased risk for autism.
