This study examined the eventual differences in triadic (father-mother-baby) and dyadic (mother-baby, father-baby and father-mother) interaction in families with and without maternal depression, with one-year old babies, during a free-play session. Nineteen families participated in the study, 9 with maternal depression and 10 without. The triadic and the dyadic patterns of interaction were examined using a protocol with several categories. Contradicting the hypothesis of the study, there were no significant differences in the interactions among families with and without maternal depression. But when analyzing the dyadic interactions, in each group of families, there were some significant differences only in the group without maternal depression. In families with maternal depression, only the cognitive stimulation category was significantly more intense, indicating that despite the depression, the mother could provide adequate stimulation for their babies. On the whole, the results suggest that maternal depression may cause changes, even subtle, in the family pattern of interaction.
Maternal depression; triadic interaction; family interaction
