Abstract
Studies of the first year of infant psychomotor development in cases of maternal postpartum depression are lacking. The mother and baby unit (MBU) is a healthcare system available to infants and their mothers during the postpartum period in a psychiatric hospital, which provides support and preserves the parent’s role in the child’s daily care. The aim of the paper is to describe the developmental profile of babies of mothers with severe postpartum depression treated in an MBU through the developmental quotients. Using the Brunet-Lézine scale, we studied six-month-old infants whose mothers were hospitalized. The study population consisted of 15 infants. The mean global developmental quotient score was 96.7. A developmental quotient lower than 80 was not observed for any of the children. We found no global psychomotor developmental delays. Despite this, the posture subscore was the area in which we observed the most difficulties. It is possible that the tonic dialogue between the mother and infant is disrupted by maternal depression.
Highlights
Perinatal psychiatry is a recent and developing field of psychiatry
The study population consisted of dyads and infants successively treated in the mother and baby unit of the SaintMarguerite University Hospital Center in Marseille between 2014 and 2016
Two children fell in the average-low zone, with a global Developmental Quotients (DQ) score of 88
Summary
Perinatal psychiatry is a recent and developing field of psychiatry. It focuses on treating maternal mental disorders and promoting child development. Postpartum depression is the most frequently observed disorder during the perinatal period.[1] The mother and baby unit (MBU) is a levelthree healthcare system that is available in psychiatric hospitals in France for infants and their mothers during the postpartum period It is tasked with treating puerperal and maternal disorders, as well as relationship difficulties between mothers and infants.[2,3,4] The intervention used is based on the continuous presence of psychiatric and pediatric nurses for the mother and child, respectively. The nurses adopt a reserved attitude but are available and remain present at anxious times They must accept the mother’s request to take her place for either a given moment or more regularly. They play a role in both prevention and early intervention in child development
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