Maternal depression is associated with a range of child development outcomes, including difficult temperament. This longitudinal study investigated whether depressive symptoms (DS) that mothers experience after childbirth predict infant negative affect (NA), as well as potential effects of infant NA on maternal DS, across the first year of life. In the study (N = 63), questionnaires (the Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition, and the Infant Behavior Questionnaire–Revised Very Short Form) were administered at 2 weeks, 4, 6, and 9 months after birth. Using path analysis, we tested five different models that could explain the relationship between maternal DS and infant NA. The best‐fitting model showed that the days immediately following childbirth represent an important time for the development of infant temperament as maternal mood significantly predicts infant NA for at least 4 months after birth. This does not constitute a single sensitive period; a new predictive effect emerges around 4 months of age, suggesting cascading influences of maternal DS across the first 6 months of life. These results suggest a need for support, should a mother experience DS, not only immediately after birth, but also throughout the early stages of parenting.

中文翻译：

---

孕产妇抑郁症状对婴儿气质发展的影响：生命第一年的级联效应

产妇抑郁症与​​一系列儿童发育结果相关，包括气质困难。这项纵向研究调查了母亲分娩后的抑郁症状（DS）能否预测婴儿的负面影响（NA），以及婴儿NA在整个生命的第一年对母亲DS的潜在影响。在这项研究中（Ñ = 63），在出生后第2周，第4，第6和第9个月进行问卷调查（贝克抑郁量表第二版和婴儿行为问卷修订的非常简短的表格）。使用路径分析，我们测试了五个可以解释母体DS与婴儿NA之间关系的不同模型。最佳拟合模型显示，分娩后的几天代表婴儿气质发展的重要时间，因为母亲的情绪显着预测了婴儿出生后至少4个月的NA。这并不构成一个敏感期；大约4个月大时会出现新的预测效果，提示母亲DS在整个生命的头6个月内会产生连锁反应。这些结果表明，如果母亲不仅仅在出生后立即经历DS，就需要支持。