Relationship between maternal pathology and infant social withdrawal: Analysis of a 268-outpatient population

Objective: Sustained withdrawal is a sign of infant distress and may be determined by extreme condi- tions like organic pathology or relationship problems. The Alarm Distress Baby Scale is the best instrument to identify withdrawal in infants between 2 and 24 months of age. The aim of this study was to assess the association between infant social withdrawal behavior and maternal pathology in the perinatal period. Method: The target sample of the study was 134 mo- ther-child couples examined at the Policlinico Agos- tino Gemelli General Pediatric Outpatient Clinic and Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic, in Rome. We analyzed the relationship between withdrawal behavior and psychological and organic prenatal/postnatal pathol- ogy, using the Chi Square exact test. Results: When the mother suffers from both organic and psycho- logical pathologies in the perinatal period, the risk of withdrawal is increased: the probability of infant withdrawal behavior is increased by maternal or- ganic postnatal pathology by 14 times, by maternal psychological postnatal pathology by 9 times, and by maternal psychological postnatal depression, meas- ured by Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, by almost 4 times. Conclusion: Increased or sustained withdrawal reactions can be observed in unsatisfac- tory mother-child interaction. Maternal risk factors should be strictly