The relationship between maternal self-esteem, maternal competence, infant temperament and post-partum blues

Abstract

Background: Several studies emphasise the link between infant temperament and maternal cognitions, particularly in terms of maternal self-esteem and feelings of competence, and how this may affect the post-partum period. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the link between infant temperament, maternal cognitions and post-partum blues. Methods: At 2 days post-partum, 69 women completed three questionnaires along with a form providing sociodemographic data: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Maternal Self-Report Inventory (MSI), and the Mother and Baby Scale (MABS) measuring post-partum blues symptoms, maternal self-esteem and perceptions of competency and infant temperament, respectively. Results: Correlation analyses showed a link between post-partum blues intensity and low maternal self-esteem, an impression of lacking competence in caretaking and feeding abilities, and the perception of the infant as ‘difficult’. A multiple regression analysis showed that the perception of the infant as difficult was predictive of post-partum blues intensity. Conclusion: The data demonstrate how some variables appear to influence post-partum blues and may provide insight into how to better organise both prevention and intervention strategies in this population.