Parenting is a difficult task to all mothers especially for depressed moms. A new study finds that postpartum depression has negative effects on parenting behavior.
In a report by Medical Daily, mothers who suffer from postpartum depression show poorer parenting behaviors as written in the extensive study and analysis published online by the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.
"Compared to [non-depressed] controls, mothers with PND interact with their infants less sensitively, report feeling less competent, and less often choose recommended practical parenting strategies," written in the study by Dr. Beth L. Mah, PhD, from Mothers and Babies Research Centre, Hunter Medical Research Institute, and Parent and Infant Mental Health Service.
The informative research also says that there might be several psychological interventions that can develop parenting behaviors of mothers with postpartum depression such as hormone therapy and oxytocin therapy.
"It's been suggested before that oxytocin could positively influence mothers with PND -- in 13 studies, higher levels of the hormone were associated with parental behaviors more likely to promote bonding; mothers were more affectionate with their baby," as included in the health news report on certain interventions for postpartum depression.
Likewise, it then identified that only four studies have been conducted in the connection between oxytocin and pospartum depression. Few studies about oxytocin's effect on depressed mothers have yielded conflicting results, which lead to a recommendation that more rigid researches definitely need to be done.
Two of the four studies show that the higher the oxytocin levels, the lower the depression symptoms while the other two studies highlight that oxytocin treatment might have a negative effect on a mother's mood.
According to Help Guide, some of the most effective interventions to combat the effects of postpartum depression include getting adequate sleep, setting aside quality time, making meals a priority, getting out in the sunshine and easing back into exercise.
