Infant-holding bias variations in mother- child relationships: A longitudinal study

This longitudinal study examined the associations between maternal depressive symptoms and infant holding bias in a sample of N=43 women during three prospective sessions: during pregnancy, two months after childbirth, and when the child was 19 months of age. The majority of mothers (65.8% on average) held their children on the left side of their body at all three sessions; approximately 30% demonstrated a change in their preference, in particular between the pre- and first post-natal session. Examination of reciprocal associations between holding bias and depression revealed that prior and concurrent depression did not predict changes in holding-side biases, whereas women's holding preferences when their infant was two months old predicted change in pre- to postnatal depressive symptoms; women favouring a right-sided holding bias were significantly more likely to report increased depressive symptoms across the perinatal period, whereas a left-sided holding bias was associated with decreased depressive symptomatology.