Associations of maternal depressive symptom trajectories with frontal electroencephalographic alpha asymmetry and internalizing behaviors in infants with and without older autistic siblings.

This study examined maternal depressive symptom trajectories and their associations with neural and behavioral outcomes in infants with and without an older autistic sibling (n = 142). Mothers reported depressive symptoms when children were 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. At 24 months, children's frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha asymmetry and internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed. Latent class growth modeling identified three distinct maternal depressive symptom trajectories. These trajectories were not associated with older sibling status and the participating child's subsequent autism diagnosis. However, they were significantly associated with children's EEG asymmetry and internalizing behaviors. Specifically, children of mothers whose depressive symptoms were initially elevated or increased over time showed greater right (relative to left) frontal brain activity or elevated internalizing behaviors, respectively. No associations were observed for externalizing behaviors. These findings suggest that maternal mental health is linked to early neurobehavioral development, independent of familial autism likelihood, and highlight the importance of considering caregiver well-being in early developmental contexts.