Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Maternal depression adversely affects children's social, emotional and vocational development, and is a risk factor for later psychopathology. Children of depressed mothers show deficits in social cognitive development driven, in part, by impaired maternal-child attachment. Attachment between a mother and child begins to form immediately after the birth, and as a result, maternal depression in the postpartum period may be particularly detrimental to a developing child. At this time, there is a paucity of research examining the effects of postpartum depression (PPD) on infant attachment in the immediate postpartum period, and even fewer studies examining mechanisms by which PPD affects infant attachment. The current study will focus on two mechanisms by which PPD may affect infant attachment: infant right frontal electroencephalography (EEG) asymmetry and maternal attachment. Right frontal EEG asymmetry has been found in infants of depressed mothers and is also associated with behaviours reflecting avoidance and inhibition. Therefore, right frontal EEG asymmetry may result from PPD and may contribute to an insecure attachment in infants. Further, attachment develops through transactional relationships between mother and child, and thus, the mothers own feelings of attachment will affect the development of infant attachment. The role of maternal attachment in understanding the relation of PPD and infant attachment has not been studied. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology, and to guide prevention and intervention programs, it is necessary to elucidate how PPD affects infant attachment- the goal of my doctoral thesis.