FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND VAGAL TONE OF INFANTS OF DEPRESSED AND NONDEPRESSED MOTHERS

Mothers classified as 'depressed', 'non-depressed' or low scoring' on the Beck Depression Inventory and their 3-month-old infants were video taped during 3-minute face-to-face play interactions. Infants' facial expressions were coded using the AFFEX facial expression coding system and their EKG was recorded during the interactions to assess the rela tionship between cardiac measures and facial expressivity. Infants of both 'depressed' and low scoring' mothers showed significantly more sa d and anger expressions and fewer interest expressions than infants of nondepressed mothers. Cardiac vagal tone, (quantified from the amplit ude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia) was correlated with infants' joy and interest expressions and with self-comfort behaviours in the non-d epressed and low scoring groups, but not in the depressed group. The r esults suggest that maternal depression affects infants' affective sta te and appearance as well as their biobehavioural emotional regulation systems.