How to Enhance Maternal Responsiveness in Pregnant Women with Depression

During pregnancy, women develop increasing sensitivity and responsiveness to infant distress. Depression during pregnancy reduces maternal responsiveness up to 12 months postpartum and may contribute to negative child outcomes. In a pilot study, researchers examined effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression during pregnancy on maternal attentiveness. The 24 participants were 8 to 18 weeks pregnant and diagnosed with ICD-10 unipolar depression.

Before randomization, the women completed an attentional bias task, on which they displayed a trend toward less attentiveness to distressed versus nondistressed infant faces than 51 nondepressed pregnant controls. Then the depressed women were randomized to CBT plus usual care or usu…