Psychosocial distress during pregnancy and the risk of infantile colic: a follow‐up study

Søndergaard, Charlotte; Olsen, Jørn; Friis-Hasché, E; Dirdal, M; Thrane, Nana; Sørensen, Henrik Toft

doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2003.tb02538.x

Cited by 56 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We therefore conducted a retrospective cohort study nested within a completed randomized controlled trial (RCT) 14 to investigate longitudinal associations of inconsolable infant crying at 5 to 6 weeks of age with maternal depressive symptoms at 8 weeks postpartum, while controlling for preexisting depression, which may influence infant colic [15][16][17] and irritability. 18 We hypothesized that prolonged inconsolable infant crying, rather than the total daily duration of distress (ie, colic), would have a stronger longitudinal association with maternal depression symptoms.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inconsolable Infant Crying and Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Studies reveal that mothers of infants with colic (defined by Wessel' s criteria of .3 hours per day of distress) are more likely to develop depression. No studies have examined whether the consolability of infant crying predicts maternal depression risk.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Prolonged inconsolable infant crying has a stronger association with maternal depressive symptoms than overall daily duration of fussing and crying, suggesting that a mother' s report of inability to soothe her infant may be a powerful indicator of her depression risk. abstract OBJECTIVE: To quantify the extent to which maternal report of inconsolable infant crying, rather than colic (defined by Wessel' s criteria of daily duration of fussing and crying .3 hours), is associated with maternal postpartum depressive symptoms.METHODS: Participants were 587 mothers who were recruited shortly before or after delivery and followed longitudinally. At 5 to 6 weeks postpartum, mothers recorded the duration and mode (fussing, crying, or inconsolable crying) of their infant' s distress by using the Baby' s Day Diary. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered at enrollment and at 8 weeks postpartum. Using regression models that included baseline EPDS scores and multiple confounders, we examined associations of colic and inconsolable crying with later maternal EPDS scores at 8 weeks postpartum. RESULTS:Sixty mothers (10%) met the EPDS threshold for "possible depression" (score $9) at 8 weeks postpartum. For mothers reporting .20 minutes of inconsolable crying per day, the adjusted odds ratio for an EPDS score $9 was 4.0 (95% confidence interval: 2.0-8.1), whereas the adjusted odds ratio for possible depression in mothers whose infants had colic was 2.0 (95% confidence interval: 1.1-3.7). These associations persisted after adjusting for baseline depression symptoms.CONCLUSIONS: Maternal report of inconsolable infant crying may have a stronger association with postpartum depressive symptoms than infant colic. Asking a mother about her ability to soothe her infant may be more relevant for potential intervention than questions about crying and fussing duration alone.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inconsolable Infant Crying and Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, the subjective maternal assessments might have been affected by confounding psychosocial factors associated with infantile colic. 13,14 Several mothers of infants who had failed to respond to dietary treatment, as indicated by the cry charts, categorized their infants as "better" at the end of the study, which suggests that the assessments might also have been influenced by placebo and/or Hawthorne effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2,9,11,12 Several psychosocial factors and maternal smoking have been shown to increase the risk of infantile colic. 13,14 The role of diet in infantile colic is controversial. 5 Among formula-fed infants with colic, use of extensively hydrolyzed casein-and whey-based preparations is associated with significant improvement in colic symptoms.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a Low-Allergen Maternal Diet on Colic Among Breastfed Infants: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT.Background. There is controversy regarding whether hypersensitivity to food proteins contributes to colic among breastfed infants.Methods. A randomized, controlled trial of a lowallergen maternal diet was conducted among exclusively breastfed infants presenting with colic. In the active arm, mothers excluded cow's milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, and fish from their diet; mothers in the control group continued to consume these foods. Outcomes were assessed after 7 days, as the change in cry/fuss duration over 48 hours, with validated charts. The primary end point was a reduction in cry/fuss duration of >25% from baseline. Mothers also assessed the responses to diet with categorical and visual analog scales.Results. Of 107 infants, 90 completed the trial (mean age: 5.7 weeks; range: 2.9 -8.6 weeks; 54 male infants). Infants in both groups presented with significant distress (geometric mean: low-allergen group: 690 minutes per 48 hours; control group: 631 minutes per 48 hours). In follow-up assessments on days 8 and 9, there were significantly more responders in the low-allergen group (74% vs 37%), ie, an absolute risk reduction of 37% (95% confidence interval: 18 -56%). Cry/fuss duration per 48 hours was reduced by a substantially greater amount in the low-allergen group; the adjusted geometric mean ratio was 0.79 (95% confidence interval: 0.63-0.97), ie, an average reduction of 21% (95% confidence interval: 3-37%). Mothers' subjective assessments of the responses to diet indicated little difference between the groups.Conclusion. Exclusion of allergenic foods from the maternal diet was associated with a reduction in distressed behavior among breastfed infants with colic presenting in the first 6 weeks of life.

show abstract

“…Sondergaard et al (2003) found a threefold increase of having an infant with colic if the mother reported general stress during pregnancy, and twice as likely if they reported psychological stress; however, as the data were collected retrospectively, it has been suggested that the mothers' reports of stress might be heightened if dealing with a crying baby, and so no causal relation can be certain (St James-Roberts & Conroy, 2005). More recently, Wurmser et al (2006), carried out a prospective longitudinal study and found that those mothers who reported higher levels of stressful life events during pregnancy had infants who cried more within the first 6 months of life than did mothers with lower stress scores.…”

Section: Definitionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The psychology of infant colic: A review of current research

Kaley

Reid

Flynn

2011

Infant Mental Health Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Colic, or excessive infant crying, occurs during the first 3 months in approximately 15 to 20% of infants and is the most common concern for which parents seek medical advice during an infant's first year. Various physiological and environmental causes have been investigated. Some researchers have proposed multifactorial causes while others have argued that it is simply the extreme end of the normal crying continuum. As the etiology of colic is not clear, definitions of colic have relied on behavioral descriptions, and the relative merits of specific behaviors in affording an accurate definition are debated. This lack of clarity has compounded difficulties in identifying effective interventions for colic. One point of agreement is that colic is extremely distressing for parents. Some have argued that the disruption to the infant-parent relationship can have long-term implications for development while others have argued that only if the crying persists beyond 3 months is there a risk of long-term implications. It is concluded that due to the incidence of colic and the immediate impact it has on family functioning, more research is required to further our understanding of colic. In addition, the identification of effective coping strategies and consoling methods to assist parents through this stressful period is required.

show abstract

Psychosocial distress during pregnancy and the risk of infantile colic: a follow‐up study

Cited by 56 publications

References 26 publications

Inconsolable Infant Crying and Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms

Inconsolable Infant Crying and Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms

Effect of a Low-Allergen Maternal Diet on Colic Among Breastfed Infants: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

The psychology of infant colic: A review of current research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About