Hair cortisol in pregnancy interacts with maternal depressive symptoms to predict maternal disrupted interaction with her infant at 4 months

Disrupted maternal interaction in early infancy is associated with maladaptive child outcomes. Thus, identifying early risk factors for disrupted interaction is an important challenge. Research suggests that maternal depressive symptoms and maternal cortisol dysregulation are associated with disrupted maternal interaction, but both factors have rarely been considered together as independent or interactive predictors of disrupted interaction. In a sample of 51 women, hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and depressive symptoms were assessed during pregnancy, and depressive symptoms were assessed again at 4-month postpartum. Maternal disrupted interaction was assessed during the Still-Face Paradigm at 4 months. Results indicated that HCC and depressive symptoms interacted to predict both maternal withdrawing and inappropriate/intrusive interaction. Withdrawing interaction was associated with high levels of HCC in pregnancy in the context of high depressive symptoms at 4 months; inappropriate/intrusive interaction was associated with high levels of HCC in the context of low depressive symptoms. Thus, high HCC potentiated both forms of disrupted interaction. Results raised questions about the meaning of very low reported depressive symptoms, and underscored the importance of chronic stress physiology and maternal depressed mood as risk factors for distinct forms of maternal disrupted interaction, both of which are deleterious for infant development.