Maternal Prenatal Somatization, Postnatal Depression, and Offspring Temperament During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background. Researchers have begun to examine the psychological toll of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Data are now emerging indicating that there may be long-term adverse effects of the pandemic on new mothers and on children born during this period. Methods. In a longitudinal study of maternal mental health and child emotional development during the pandemic, we conducted online assessments of a cohort of women at two time points: when they were pregnant at the beginning of the surge of the pandemic in the United States (N=725), and approximately one year postpartum (N=296), examining prenatal and postnatal maternal mental health symptoms and infant temperament. Results. Prenatal maternal symptoms of somatization, the number of people in the household with COVID-19 symptoms, and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms all were positively associated with infant negative affect. Further, postnatal maternal depressive symptoms mediated the relation between prenatal maternal symptoms of somatization and infant negative affect. Conclusions. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the persistence of mental health symptoms in potentially vulnerable groups and of the emotional development of children who were in utero during the COVID-19 pandemic.