Prenatal symptoms of anxiety and depression associated with sex differences in both maternal perceptions of one year old infant temperament and researcher observed infant characteristics

•Maternal perceptions of temperament influenced by mood and infant gender.•Mood affected mothers report poor bonding and difficulties in daughters, not sons.•Researchers observe minimal difficulties in girls exposed to maternal symptoms.•Researchers observe language delay and temperament issues in exposed boys.•Maternal perceptional biases may blind mothers to problems in their sons. Sex differences in the behaviour of children exposed to prenatal maternal depression and anxiety have been reported. This study compared depression and anxiety symptoms reported by mothers at term with maternal perceptions of one year old male and female infant temperament and with researcher observed infant characteristics, identifying differences for males and females with both approaches. Infant behaviour and temperament was assessed via maternally completed questionnaires including Infant Behavioural Questionnaire Revised – Short form and by researcher administered subcomponents of Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery and Bayley Scales of Infant Development III. For female infants, higher prenatal scores for depression and anxiety were associated with maternal perceptions of lower bonding, higher aggression and negativity, and lower soothability (n = 67 mother-infant dyads). In the laboratory assessment, intensity of escape was the only female infant factor significantly associated with maternal mood (n = 41). For male infants, there was minimal association between prenatal mood scores and maternal perceptions (n = 46) whereas in the laboratory assessment (n = 35) depression scores were associated with expressive language, facial interest and facial fear while anxiety scores were associated with expressive and receptive language, parent behaviour and facial fear. Findings may be restricted to a single ethnicity or mode of delivery. Fewer infants attended the infant assessment. A laboratory setting may mask symptomatology in females. Atypical maternal perceptions may present a barrier to the early identification of male infants impacted by maternal depression and anxiety.