Developmental history of care and control, depression and anger: Correlates of maternal sensitivity in toddlerhood

Abstract

This study examined maternal sensitivity in response to toddler distress in relation to mothers' childhood care and control experiences with parents, maternal depression, and maternal anger. Fifty-two mothers and infants participated. Mothers reported childhood care and control experiences prenatally. At 2½ years, mothers reported depressive symptoms and anger on questionnaires, and reported maternal behavior in a daily diary for 1 week, yielding ratings of maternal sensitivity to fear and anger. Results were as follows: (a) Mothers' acceptance during childhood correlated negatively with both maternal depression and maternal anger, and positively with maternal sensitivity to fear at 2½ years; (b) maternal anger mediated the association between childhood care and maternal sensitivity to fear at 2½ years; and (c) the interaction of maternal and paternal control during childhood predicted maternal sensitivity to anger at 2½ years, controlling for maternal education. When maternal control was low, paternal control was positively associated with maternal sensitivity to anger whereas when maternal control was high, paternal control was negatively associated with maternal sensitivity to anger. Results are discussed in relation to prior studies, with particular emphasis on attachment theory. Implications for preventive intervention efforts are considered.

Maternal Responsiveness, Intrusiveness, and Negativity During Play with Infants: Contextual Associations and Infant Cognitive Status in A Low‐Income Sample

“…Depressive symptoms are fairly widespread among mothers, particularly those living in poverty who rarely have the resources or access necessary to obtain treatment for their condition (Albright & Tamis‐LeMonda, ; Downey & Coyne, ; Leadbeater & Linares, ). Maternal depression can interfere with a mother's ability to be responsive to her infant, setting up early risk factors in the development of mother–child relationships, and compromising infants’ opportunities for learning about their worlds (Burrous, Crockenberg, & Leerkes, ; Campbell, Cohn, & Meyers, ; Cummings & Davies, ; Erikson, Sroufe, & Egeland, ). The effects of these risks are heightened in the context of socioeconomic hardship (V.C.…”

Cortisol and testosterone concentrations during the prenatal and postpartum period forecast later caregiving quality in mothers and fathers

“…While during infancy children mostly depend on their parents for processes including co-regulation, the transition to toddlerhood is characterized by increased child selfregulation and emerging autonomy. During this time of growing independency and autonomy, it remains important for parents to be sensitive and understand the signals of the child, such as requests for autonomy in managing everyday situations, to aid the child in these developmental tasks, and at the same time to maintain closeness (Burrous et al, 2009;Calkins et al, 1998;Sroufe et al, 2005). The current, preregistered study investigated the following questions: (1) Are CORT, T and their interaction measured in the third trimester of pregnancy associated with caregiving quality at child age 3?, and (2) Are CORT, T, and their interaction measured six weeks postpartum associated with parental caregiving quality at child age 3?…”

Predicting maternal sensitivity: The roles of postnatal depressive symptoms and parasympathetic dysregulation

“…Goodman and Gotlib (1999, 2002) proposed that a lack of maternal sensitivity likely mediates the association between maternal depressive symptoms and cognitive and socioemotional impairments in children. However, few studies have directly tested this mediation‐model (Burrous, Crockenberg, & Leerkes, 2009; Shaw, Connell, Dishion, Wilson, & Gardner, 2009). In addition, evidence has accumulated suggesting that perhaps depressive symptoms are better conceptualized as a moderator of the association between maternal sensitivity and child outcomes (Campbell et al, 2007; Campbell, et al, 2004; Murray, Fiori‐Cowley, Hooper, & Cooper, 1996; Murray, Stanley, Hooper, & King, 1996; Pederson, Moran, Sitko, Campbell, Ghesquire, & Acton, 1990).…”