Thoughts of harming infants in depressed and nondepressed mothers

Background: Thoughts of harming the infant and other disturbing cognitions are frequently described in anecdotal reports on postpartum depression. The se cognitions have not been examined empirically. Methods: 100 clinically depressed mothers with a child under 3 years were e valuated and compared to a control group of 46 nondepressed mothers. Results: 41% of depressed mothers compared to 7% of control mothers admitte d to thoughts of harming their infant. Fear of being done with the infant a nd inability to care for the infant were assessed only in depressed mothers and occurred less frequently. More than half of depressed mothers had prob lems in one of these three areas. Conclusions: Thoughts of harming the infant are common in depressed mothers . Demographic variables, psychosocial stressors and psychiatric variables d o not help predict which mothers are likely to experience thoughts of harm or fear of being alone with the infant. These cognitive and affective distu rbances may be one pathway by which maternal depression affects infants. Limitations: The control group was not given the full diagnostic interview. Consequently, the groups were not selected by identical procedures. Also f ear of being alone with the infant and difficulty caring for the infant wer e not assessed in the control group. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.