Effect of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Treatment Status and Maternal Depressive Symptomatology on Maternal Reports of Infant Behaviors

Objective The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of maternal perinatal depression symptoms and infant treatment status for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) on maternal perceptions of infant regulatory behavior at 6 weeks of age. Methods Mothers and their infants (N = 106; 53 dyads) were recruited from a rural, White cohort in Northeast Maine. Mothers in medication-assisted treatment (methadone) and their infants (n = 35 dyads) were divided based on the infant’s NAS pharmacological treatment (n = 20, NAS+ group; n = 15, NAS− group) and compared with a demographically similar, nonexposed comparison group (n = 18 dyads; COMP group). At 6 weeks postpartum, mothers reported their depression symptoms Beck Depression Inventory—2nd Edition) and infant regulatory behaviors [Mother and Baby Scales (MABS)]. Infant neurobehavior was assessed during the same visit using the Neonatal Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). Results Mothers in the NAS+ group showed significantly higher depression scores than the COMP group (p < .05) while the NAS− group did not. Across the sample, mothers with higher depression scores reported higher infant “unsettled-irregularity” MABS scores, regardless of group status. Agreement between maternal reports of infant regulatory behaviors and observer-assessed NNNS summary scares was poor in both the NAS+ and COMP groups. Conclusions Postpartum women in opioid recovery with infants requiring pharmacological intervention for NAS are more at risk for depression which may adversely influence their perceptions of their infants’ regulatory profiles. Unique, targeted attachment interventions may be needed for this population.