Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Infant Behavior and Development journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/inbede Full length article Antenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms: Association with quality of mother–infant interaction Victoria Binda a, *, Francisca Figueroa-Leigh b , Marcia Olhaberry c a Department of Family Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile b Santiago, Chile c Department of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Antenatal depressive symptoms Postnatal depressive symptoms Mother–infant interaction Maternal sensitivity Interaction styles ABSTRACT Antenatal and postnatal depression are independently associated with an increased risk of ad- verse infant development. A key linking mechanism is the quality of mother–infant interaction. Objectives: This study assesses the association between postnatal depressive symptoms (PDS) and their severity, with the quality of mother–infant interaction and compare the quality of mo- ther–infant interaction and severity of the symptoms depending on the presence or absence of antenatal depressive symptoms (ADS). Methods: observational study in 177 psychosocial risk mother–infant dyads from Chile (infant aged 2–12 months). Results: Mothers with PDS had lower maternal sensitivity and a more intrusive/controlling style than mothers without PDS, although the severity of the symptoms was not associated with lower maternal sensitivity. Maternal sensitivity did not differ in the postnatal depressed mothers de- pending on the presence of ADS, although the mothers differed in interaction style and the se- verity of symptoms. Mothers with ADS and PDS presented with a predominant intrusive/con- trolling interaction style and more severe depressive symptoms, whereas those with only PDS presented with a predominant nonresponsive/passive interaction style and reduced severity of symptoms. Conclusions: The results corroborate the need to offer treatment and dyadic interventions to antenatal and postnatal depressive mothers and postulate that the presence of antenatal de- pressive symptoms may influence the subsequent mother–infant interaction style and greater severity of symptoms. 1. Introduction Perinatal mental health problems are a significant challenge for world public health, with perinatal depression being the most frequent, defined as a major depressive episode with peri-partum onset, i.e., symptom onset during pregnancy or in the four weeks following delivery (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Perinatal mental health problems are associated with a significant cost burden on children's health, education, and social services (Bauer et al., 2015). A recent meta-analysis shows a worldwide prevalence of perinatal depression of 11.9% (Woody, Ferrari, Siskind, Whiteford, & Harris, 2017), with an important heterogeneity among different countries, increasing in middle and low-income countries, nations with significantly higher rates of income inequality, and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101386 Received 22 April 2019; Received in revised form 23 September 2019; Accepted 2 October 2019 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4686, Macul, Santiago, Chile. E-mail address: vbinda@uc.cl (V. Binda). Infant Behavior and Development 57 (2019) 101386 0163-6383/ © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. T