Since depression and anxiety in mothers
have previously been shown to interfere with the quality
and responsiveness of maternal care, one could speculate,
in the case of infants with severe CHD, that their mothers’
mental health could become an additional burden.
Although the mothers’ symptoms might remit after
18 months, research has shown that infants’ cognitive development
might already be affected at this stage and that
mother–infant relationships often are characterized by insecure
attachment and interaction difficulties (Cogill,
Caplan, Alexandra, Robson, & Kumar, 1986; Cooper &
Murray, 1998; Hay, 1997)