Table 1.

An overview of the preliminary findings from the current review

Preliminary findings

Dyadic parent–infant interactions

Depression in mothers and fathers is linked to less positive and more negative/flat affect in parents and in infants

Children of depressed mothers interact more positively with their non-depressed fathers or other familiar figures than they do with depressed mothers

Comorbid anxiety in depressed parents is linked to a more pronounced decrease in positive affect in parents and children

Mothers and fathers with anxiety disorders (without comorbid depression) do not differ from parents without diagnosis in their expressions of positive and negative affect

Triadic parent–infant–object interactions

Daughters, but not sons, of depressed mothers are more positive and less negative than infants of non-depressed mothers

Infants of depressed mothers are less likely to engage in toy exploration

Social anxiety disorder in mothers and fathers is related to more expressed anxiety in parents during SR

More expressed anxiety in fathers and mothers is related to more avoidance of novelty in children with temperamental dispositions for anxiety

Attention to emotion

More exposure to sad faces from depressed mothers is indirectly linked to less attention to sad faces in infants

More exposure to fearful faces from anxious parents is indirectly linked to less interest to high-intensity fear faces in infants