title: Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy and disorganized infant-mother attachment.
abstract: Examine the quality of infant-mother attachment in a prospective case series of infants whose mothers took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy.
  
  
  
  SSRIs are prescribed to 2 to 6% of pregnant women (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2007; Stewart, 2011). Recent articles on the use of SSRIs during pregnancy note the increased risk for problematic infant-mother relationships among mothers with untreated postpartum depression (Gentile, 2011; Stewart, 2011). However, little is known about the quality of infant-mother relationships among mothers who took SSRIs during pregnancy.
  
  
  
  Five mothers who took SSRIs during pregnancy were recruited from a community study of infant development. Mothers completed ratings of postpartum depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) 4 to 6 times between 1 month and 1 year following the infant's birth. At 1 year postpartum, quality of infant-mother attachment was assessed using the strange situation procedure.
  
  
  
  Four of the 5 infant-mother dyads (80%) were classified as disorganized, a rate considerably higher than in postpartum depression samples.
  
  
  
  These results are used to raise questions about the clinical implications of research on in utero exposure to SSRIs, perinatal depression, and disorganized attachment. Specifically, this case series raises questions about using research on the link between postpartum depression and infant-mother attachment as a rationale for the use of SSRIs during pregnancy. Current research indicates use of SSRIs during pregnancy may: 1) increase risk for disorganized attachment, 2) decrease risk for disorganized attachment, or 3) have no effect on disorganized attachment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.
authors.forename: Beth R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Troutman
authors.forename: Allison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Momany