Depressive symptoms in mothers and children: Preschool attachment as a moderator of risk.

Abstract

Drawing from transactional models, the authors examined whether attachment security measured at age 3 (a potential source of differential vulnerability) interacts with the course of maternal depressive symptoms over an 8-year period (a potential source of differential exposure) in predicting children's self-reported depressive symptoms at age 11. Participants were from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (N = 938). Results from growth curve modeling and analysis of covariance suggest that preschool attachment quality moderates the influence of subsequent maternal depression on children. In particular, variability in the course of maternal depressive symptoms predicted offspring depressive symptoms only among those children with an insecure attachment history. A potential protective effect of early attachment security was evident among children exposed to the most chronic levels of maternal depression. Of the children with different patterns of insecure attachments, those with behaviors classified as disorganized appeared most vulnerable to also becoming depressed if paired with a mother experiencing ongoing depressive symptoms.

Pathways to Adolescent Internalizing: Early Attachment Insecurity as a Lasting Source of Vulnerability

“…Given the well-established gender gap in internalizing symptoms that emerges during adolescence, we also examined gender as a potential moderator. In previous studies in which attachment security was found to moderate associations between maternal and child depression symptoms, gender differences did not emerge; however, these samples consisted primarily of preadolescent youth (Abela et al, 2009;Milan et al, 2009).…”

“…Consequently, early attachment quality may act as a moderating factor, leading youth to respond differently when later exposed to the same interpersonal risk factors (Belsky & Fearon, 2002;National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD] Early Child Care Research Network, 2006;Murray, Halligan, Adams, Patterson, & Goodyer, 2006). Consistent with this possibility, attachment insecurity has been found to increase the likelihood that children will themselves develop depressive symptoms in response to increases in maternal depressive symptoms (Abela, Zinck, Kryger, Zilber, & Hankin, 2009;Milan, Snow, & Belay, 2009). However, empirical studies have not identified pathways underlying potential differential responsivity to caregiving risk factors among children with an insecure attachment.…”

Maternal Depressive Symptoms, Maternal Behavior, and Toddler Internalizing Outcomes: A Moderated Mediation Model

“…Additionally, given the relatively small indirect effect found in the current study, there are likely other influences on these relations. For example, previous research suggests that secure attachment can help buffer the negative outcomes of maternal depression [e.g., 46]. Thus, investigating additional moderators like attachment in the current model may help clarify risk and protective factors in the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and toddler internalizing outcomes.…”

A Biopsychosocial and Long Term Perspective on Child Behavioral Problems : Impact of Risk and Resilience

“…Studies have also examined different possible moderators in the association between maternal depression and child behavioral problems (Goodman et al, 2011). Both socioeconomic factors, gender and relational factors such as attachment pattern have been discussed (Goodman et al, 2011;Milan et al, 2009). From a developmental point of view, maternal depression may have different consequences for the children at different ages and stages of development.…”

“…Maternal depression has been shown to increase the risk for insecure attachment (Cicchetti et al, 1998;Forman et al, 2007;Martins and Gaffan, 2000), which also has been associated with both internalizing and externalizing problems (Cicchetti et al, 1998). Attachment could possibly act as a moderator of the effect of maternal depression on child behavioral problems later during childhood (Milan et al, 2009). Most human traits are influenced by the interaction between multiple genes and the environment (gene-environment interaction).…”