Mother-child interaction: implications of chronic maternal anxiety and depression

Abstract

Background: The literature has few studies on the quality of the mother-child interaction when mothers suffer from chronic anxiety and depression. This study aimed to compare characteristics of the interaction between 14-month-old children and their mothers who presented symptoms of chronic anxiety or depression with those of 14-month-old children and their mothers who did not present mental problems. Method: The sample consisted of 40 mother-infant dyads selected from a prospective cohort study. They were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory, at three time points: during pregnancy and at 6 months and 14 months of the infant's life. Three groups were formed: 10 mothers with symptoms of chronic anxiety, 8 mothers with symptoms of chronic depression, and a control group of 22 mothers without mental health problems. The mothers responded to a socioeconomic questionnaire, and then a 7-min episode of the dyad interaction was recorded and assessed using categories indicated in a dyadic interaction assessment protocol. This consisted of six categories that evaluate the behavior of the caregiver and four categories that evaluate the child's behavior. Results: A significantly higher percentage of mothers with chronic depressive symptoms had not completed high school and did not live with a partner. When comparing the interaction behaviors of the three groups, mothers with symptoms of chronic depression were significantly less sensitive, were more disengaged, and showed less positive affect than those in the control group. They also engaged in significantly fewer stimulations and displayed more negative affect compared with both the control group and mothers with chronic anxiety symptoms. Anxious mothers presented greater intrusiveness compared with mothers in the control group. Regarding the children, those with mothers showing symptoms of chronic depression interacted significantly less than those with mothers showing symptoms of chronic anxiety and the control group. Conclusions: The results indicate that mother-infant interaction is most severely compromised among mother-infant dyads comprised of mothers with chronic depressive symptoms, compared with dyads of mothers with chronic anxiety symptoms and dyads of control group mothers without mental health problems.

A cross-sectional investigation of psychosocial stress factors in German families with children aged 0-3 years during the COVID-19 pandemic: Initial results of the CoronabaBY study

“…Parent-child relationships suffer during the pandemic and are highly dependent on parental anxiety and depression (Russell et al, 2020). These findings are well in line with studies reporting parental mental health problems to predict impaired parent-child relationships (Dib et al, 2019;Lovejoy et al, 2000) and child mental health problems (Bennett et al, 2012;Gao et al, 2007;Spinelli et al, 2020a).…”

A cross-sectional investigation of psychosocial stress factors in German families with children aged 0–3 years during the COVID-19 pandemic: initial results of the CoronabaBY study

“…Parental mental health problems, more specifically depression and anxiety, are additionally closely linked to parenting stress [ 19 , 29 , 30 ]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, heightened depression and anxiety rates have been found in parents [ 6 ], especially for mothers [ 31 ], with negative implications for parent-child relationships [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Maternal anxiety and preterm babies’ behavior

“…Results of this study indicate, according to the literature, that preterm delivery is a remarkable maternal event where the mother is confronted with an unpredictable situation that generates a high level of anxiety (Camarneiro, & Justo, 2014;Casanova, Valle, & Santos, 2009;Dib et al, 2019;Zirpoli et al, 2019).…”

“…Regarding the influence of maternal anxiety on the mother-baby relationship and on the developmental of the child over time, the data evaluated in this study point to a significant association between the presence of clinical symptoms of anxiety at childbirth and negative indicators that compromise maternal interaction (Casanova et al, 2009;Dib et al, 2019;Zirpoli et al, 2019). Among behaviors presented by preterm infants associated with maternal anxiety at childbirth, disturbances were observed in baby's sleep during the first 180 days of life and with fear in the presence of strangers, indicating that, since the first weeks of life, the family environment, especially the maternal relationship, can be viewed as a fundamental moderating agent for the development and behavior of the baby.…”