Depressed moms can be good parents

EDMONTON, Alberta, March 14 (UPI) -- A Canadian study has found depressed mothers can be taught how to respond to their baby's cues and encourage their babies to smile.

Study co-author Robert Short of the University of Alberta in Edmonton studied 11 mild to moderately depressed mothers. He concluded medically treating postpartum depression may not be enough to improve a mother's relationship with her child and that behavioral interventions are also needed.

The study, which also included research from the University of New Brunswick, appears in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Researchers used an intervention program called the Keys to Caregiving, which helps parents understand and respond to infant behaviors by videotaping the moms and babies before and after the intervention. The tapes showed babies responded by smiling more after the mother participated in the program.

"This study shows if you focus medically just on the mother's condition, it doesn't necessarily follow that it will improve the type of interactions that are essential for normal healthy child development," Short said in a statement. "However, programs like KTC should apply to all new mothers."