A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports observed that maternal heart rate variability (mHRV) at three months postpartum is associated with infant neurophysiology and maternal mental health. Postpartum mental health issues have increasingly become prevalent among new mothers. This is particularly concerning as the mental health of mothers in the perinatal period can shape the caregiver-infant relationship and child development.
Nonetheless, research in this field has relied on self-reported measures of psychological distress, which can lead to bias and offer limited mechanistic insights. Therefore, objective measures that are more accurate are warranted. Maternal stress physiology system can provide insights into how psychological distress influences infant outcomes.
HRV is a candidate marker for stress regulation. Studies suggest that HRV reflects the balance between parasympathetic and sympathetic activities and could broadly be used to index physiological stress regulation. mHRV is predominantly assessed in the prenatal period, and lower prenatal mHRV has been associated with a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders in late pregnancy.
Study: Maternal heart rate variability at 3-months postpartum is associated with maternal mental health and infant neurophysiology . Image Credit: THICHA SATAPITANON / Shutterstock About the study In the present study, researchers examined associations between mHRV and maternal stress, anxiety and depression, and infant stre.