With depression being a mental illness prevalent in women, it is interesting to explore potential challenges to their offsprings’ well-being, given that researchers are interested in exploring concerns about the intergenerational transmission of depression (Goodman, 2020).
To be clear, depression may refer to a depressive episode or to elevated depression symptoms. This study describes aspects of offsprings’ functioning that may be associated with the diagnosis of depression in their mothers.
In regards to fetal and newborn functioning, depression in women who are pregnant is associated with fetal heart rate (FHR), in that there is found to be a higher baseline heart rate, “slower reactivity and recovery in reaction to stimuli, and lower heart rate variability” (Goodman, 2020).
For infants, depression in mothers is associated with offsprings’ having more observed negative or flat affect. Additionally, infants are seen to have higher-temperament, poorer emotion regulation skills, and are found to be more insecure and disorganized.
In regard to older children and adolescents with mothers having depression, researchers have found that these children typically have lower school achievement and are more likely to experience an onset of depression.
Given that not all children of depressed mothers develop depression or other disorders, future research should look to understand how individual children can develop more resilience than others despite the exposure.
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