Development and Psychopathology, 4 (1992), 67-80 Copyright © 1992 Cambridge University Press Printed in the United States of America Infants of mothers with depressive symptoms: Electroencephalographic and behavioral findings related to attachment status GERALDINE DAWSON, LAURA GROFER KLINGER, HERACLES PANAGIOTIDES, SUSAN SPIEKER, AND KARIN FREY Department of Psychology, University of Washington Abstract Evidence suggests that the left frontal region is specialized for the expression of positive emotions, such as joy, whereas the right frontal region is specialized for certain negative emotions, such as distress. We previously reported that infants of mothers with depressive symptoms exhibited atypical patterns of frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. We now extend these findings by examining the combined influence of maternal depression and attachment security on the infants' behavior and brain activity. Participants were 26 infants, 11-17 months of age, and their mothers. Twelve mothers reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms. Attachment behavior was observed in the traditional Strange Situation. While left and right, frontal and parietal EEG was recorded, infants were exposed to a baseline and three emotion-eliciting conditions (play with mother, stranger approach, maternal separation). During baseline and the condition designed to elicit positive emotion (play with mother), securely attached infants of symptomatic mothers exhibited reduced left frontal brain activity, compared to securely attached infants of nonsymptomatic mothers. During maternal separation, the most robust finding was that infants of symptomatic mothers, regardless of their attachment classification, exhibited reduced right frontal activity and lower levels of behavioral distress. The results suggest that both the mother's emotional well-being and her attachment relationship with her infant can influence infant frontal brain activity and affective behavior. The results of several studies indicate that Connell, & Lyons-Ruth, 1986; Field, maternal depression can disrupt patterns of Healy, Goldstein, & Guthertz, 1990; Field mother-infant interaction. When a mother et al., 1985, 1988). Dyadic interactions are is depressed, it may be difficult for her to characterized by reduced sharing of posi- provide contingent responses, positive af- tive emotional states and increased match- feet, and optimal levels of stimulation ing of negative emotional states (Field et when interacting with her infant (Cohn & al., 1990). Compared with infants of non- Tronick, 1989; Cohn, Matias, Tronick, depressed mothers, infants of depressed mothers have been found to be less atten- The research reported in this article was supported by tive, fussier, less active, and less positive a grant to Geraldine Dawson from the John D. and in thdr erno tional expressions (Field, 1986; Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. We would like _. . , . . . no , .„„„ , «r»*v> TL , L to thank the mothers and their infants for their coop- FleId e t a l " 1985 ' 1988 > 199( »- ThuS > the eration in the study, and several people whose contri- infants display behavioral characteristics butions were essential for conducting the work: Don that share some similarity with symptoms Allen, Kari Blanchard, Paul Castelloe, Julie Johnson, o f clinical depression. Currently, there is Esther Kim, Justine Loebel, Diana Patterson, Al t mterest i n t h e possible mechanisms Ross, Jan St. John, and Susan Tapert. , , . .. . . . ,., ,- . Address correspondence to: Geraldine Dawson, Underlying the transmission of these affect- Department of Psychology, NI-25, University of i y e symptoms from the mother to her in- Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. fant.