Mothers’ postpartum psychological adjustment and infantile colic

ABSTRACT

Background: Infantile colic is a common problem of early infancy. There is limited data on the relation between postpartum maternal psychological problems and colic.

Aim: To investigate whether infantile colic is associated with postpartum mood disorders or insecure adult attachment style of the mother.

Methods: Seventy eight mothers and newborns were enrolled in this prospective, longitudinal study. Maternal depressive symptoms were screened with Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Score (EPDS) and maternal anxiety was assessed with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The Adult Attachment Scale was used to determine the attachment style of the mother. Infantile colic was defined according to Wessel criteria.

Results: Infantile colic was present in 17 infants (21.7%); 12.9% of the mothers had an EPDS -13. The mean EPDS of the mothers whose infants had infantile colic (10.2 ±6.0) was significantly higher than that of the mothers of infants without colic (6.3 ±4.0). Among infants with infantile colic, 62.5% had mothers who had insecure attachment style, whereas only 31.1% of mothers had insecure attachment when the infant did not have infantile colic.

Conclusion: Postpartum maternal depressive symptoms and insecure attachment style are associated with infantile colic. Screening and early intervention of postpartum depression might promote the health of both the mother and infant.

Researchers from Brown Medical School and the Rhode Island Department of Health have found a strong association between mothers with symptoms of postpartum depression and those with colicky infants.

Each month, women are randomly chosen to receive the survey, which covers topics such as prenatal care, smoking, and nutrition and breast-feeding. A total of 4,214 new mothers got the questionnaire and 2,927 responded. The majority of mothers were white, married, had household incomes over $40,000 per year and had health insurance. Most of their babies were between two and four months of age.

The results: 19 percent of mothers reported moderate to severe symptoms of postpartum depression. And 8 percent reported that their babies were difficult to console. Responses showed a strong connection between the two. Mothers reporting depression were more than twice as likely to report infant inconsolability. And women with inconsolable babies were more than two times as likely to report depression.

Researchers say the study sends a clear message to pediatricians: If you are treating a colicy baby, check on the moms, too. Ask them how they are feeling and if they have support from family and friends. When appropriate, refer women to mental health providers.

Wendy Lawton, Brown University Office of Media Relations
Marmara University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology Istanbul, Turkey
Arch. Dis. Child., May 2006; 91: 417 – 419.