Observational studyItalian journal of pediatrics2025
Postpartum depression and the moderating role of empathy on child physiological reactivity.
Observational study in Italian journal of pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Effects of Maternal Heartbeat Exposure on Neonatal Autonomic Regulation.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026Article
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8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPerinatal maternal depression is a risk factor for the development of psychopathology in the offspring, probably by impacting its early physiological reactivity to stress and emotion regulation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of postpartum depressive symptoms on the offspring’s physiological reactivity (heart rate variability -HRV) and the possible moderating effects of empathy and perinatal attachment.
methodsWe recruited 24 mother-child dyads in a prospective observational study. The psychopathological profile and personal characteristics of pregnant women at 24–28 gestational weeks were evaluated by administrating the Perinatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ) questionnaire. Three weeks after childbirth, women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the offspring underwent an HRV recording.
resultsPostpartum depression was a good predictor of the offspring’s HRV activity (b = 1.49, p =.045). Both perinatal attachment (r=-.463, p =.023, Fisher’s ES=-0.501) and empathy (r=-.570, p =.004, Fisher’s ES=-0.648) were negatively associated with postpartum depression. Finally, empathy showed a moderator effect on the association between postpartum depression and child’s HRV (b = 0.13, p =.03). We found no moderator effects for Perinatal Attachment.
conclusionDespite the preliminary nature of our data, maternal depression showed predictive power on offspring’s early regulatory mechanisms, with possible knock-on effects on emotional regulation and mother-child bond establishment. Interestingly, some maternal personality characteristics, such as empathy, can influence the development of depression symptoms, suggesting the presence of moderator factors modulating the association between maternal psychological status and child physiological reactivity.
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