Postnatal depression poses significant challenges to the mother-infant relationship and the overall development of the infant. While addressing maternal depression alone has shown limited impact on mother-infant interaction, a recent study conducted by Onozawa et. al., (2001) aimed to explore the potential benefits of attending regular infant massage classes for mothers experiencing postnatal depression.

The study involved 34 primiparous mothers identified as depressed, with a median of 9 weeks postpartum. Participants were randomly assigned to either an infant massage class combined with a support group (massage group) or a support group alone (control group). Both groups attended five weekly sessions. The researchers assessed changes in maternal depression and mother-infant interaction by comparing Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores and evaluating videotaped interactions at the study’s initiation and conclusion.

Both the massage group and the control group showed a reduction in EPDS scores, indicating an improvement in maternal depression. However, a significant enhancement in mother-infant interaction was observed only in the massage group.

The study had a relatively small sample size, and a higher dropout rate was noted. Identifying the specific components of the infant massage class contributing to the observed benefits proved challenging.

The findings of this study suggest that teaching mothers the practice of infant massage can be an effective intervention for enhancing mother-infant interaction in cases of postnatal depression. Despite limitations, the positive impact on interaction highlights the potential of this approach as a valuable addition to interventions targeting postnatal depression and its repercussions on the mother-infant dyad. Further research with larger sample sizes and detailed exploration of the components contributing to the observed benefits is warranted to strengthen these promising findings.

Reference: Onozawa, K., Glover, V., Adams, D., Modi, N., & Kumar, R. C. (2001). Infant massage improves mother–infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression. Journal of affective disorders, 63(1-3), 201-207.