Postpartum depression in mothers of babies with infantile colic

Objective: Postpartum depression leads to mother-child relationship problems, impairment of maternal caregiving and parenting skills in both mother and child. Infantile colic (IC) is one of the important problems in early childhood. In this study we investigated the relationship between postpartum depression and IC.

Method: In our study, mothers of infants younger than 3 months (n=102) were evaluated with Edinburgh Post Partum Depression Scale (EPDS).

Results: EPDS mean scores of IC (n=55) group were significantly higher than those without IC (n=47) group (respectively, 12,7±4,8; 8,44±5,62) (p<0.001). Younger maternal age was correlated with higher EPDS scores, whereas the level of education, number of children, returning to job and feeding types were not correlated with EPDS.

Discussion: IC symptoms may imply unrecognized maternal depression, it must be considered in terms of the mother-child mental health.