How do Maternal PTSD and Alexithymia Interact to Impact Maternal Behavior?

Schechter, Daniel S.; Suardi, Francesca; Manini, Aurélia; Cordero, M. Isabel; Rossignol, Ana Sancho; Merminod, Gaëlle; Gex‐Fabry, Marianne; Moser, Dominik A.; Serpa, Sandra Rusconi

doi:10.1007/s10578-014-0480-4

Cited by 58 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Videotaped interactions were independently coded for maternal and infant positive and negative affect using 5-point Likert ratings from the MACY Infant-Parent Coding System [22,31, 3]. For each code, there was a possible range from 1–5 with 1 indicating no affect of a given valence (positive or negative) and 5 indicating high levels of affect (positive or negative).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Bidirectional Mother-Infant Affective Displays across Contexts: Effects of Maternal Maltreatment History and Postpartum Depression and PTSD Symptoms

Morelen¹,

Menke²,

Rosenblum³

et al. 2016

Psychopathology

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Background: This study examined the bidirectional nature of mother-infant positive and negative emotional displays during social interactions across multiple tasks among postpartum women accounting for childhood maltreatment severity. Additionally, effects of maternal postpartum psychopathology on maternal affect and effects of task and emotional valence on dyadic emotional displays were evaluated. Sampling and Methods: A total of 192 mother-infant dyads (51% male infants) were videotaped during free play and the Still-Face paradigm at 6 months postpartum. Mothers reported on trauma history and postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Reliable, masked coders scored maternal and infant positive and negative affect from the videotaped interactions. Results: Three path models evaluated whether dyadic affective displays were primarily mother driven, infant driven, or bidirectional in nature, adjusting for mothers' maltreatment severity and postpartum psychopathology. The bidirectional model had the best fit. Child maltreatment severity predicted depression and PTSD symptoms, and maternal symptoms predicted affective displays (both positive and negative), but the pattern differed for depressive symptoms compared to PTSD symptoms. Emotional valence and task altered the nature of bidirectional affective displays. Conclusions: The results add to our understanding of dyadic affective exchanges in the context of maternal risk (childhood maltreatment history, postpartum symptoms of depression and PTSD). Findings highlight postpartum depression symptoms as one mechanism of risk transmission from maternal maltreatment history to impacted parent-child interactions. Limitations include reliance on self-reported psychological symptoms and that the sample size prohibited testing of moderation analyses. Developmental and clinical implications are discussed.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Bidirectional Mother-Infant Affective Displays across Contexts: Effects of Maternal Maltreatment History and Postpartum Depression and PTSD Symptoms

Morelen¹,

Menke²,

Rosenblum³

et al. 2016

Psychopathology

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“…In more recent work by Schechter's group evaluating a sample of mothers with a high prevalence of interpersonal trauma and their toddlers (12–48 months old) (Schechter et al, 2015a, 2015b), comorbid depression and PTSD symptoms also are observed ( r =.57). They also report that maternal PTSD severity is positively linked to negative maternal attributions about their toddlers (uncontrolled for depression) as well as lower levels of observed sensitive parenting (even after controlling for depression).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychopathology and parenting: An examination of perceived and observed parenting in mothers with depression and PTSD

Muzik

Morelen

Hruschak

et al. 2017

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Background The postpartum period represents a major transition in the lives of many women, a time when women are at increased risk for the emergence of psychopathology including depression and PTSD. The current study aimed to better understand the unique contributions of clinically significant postpartum depression, PTSD, and comorbid PTSD/depression on mother–infant bonding and observed maternal parenting behaviors (i.e., behavioral sensitivity, negative affect, positive affect) at 6 months postpartum. Methods Mothers (n=164; oversampled for history of childhood maltreatment given parent study's focus on perinatal mental health in women with trauma histories) and infants participated in 6-month home visit during which dyads engaged in interactional tasks varying in level of difficulties. Mothers also reported on their childhood abuse histories, current depression/PTSD symptoms, and bonding with the infant using standardized and validated instruments. Results Mothers with clinically significant depression had the most parenting impairment (self-report and observed). Mothers with clinically significant PTSD alone (due to interpersonal trauma that occurred predominately in childhood) showed similar interactive behaviors to those who were healthy controls or trauma-exposed but resilient (i.e., no postpartum psychopathology). Childhood maltreatment in the absence of postpartum psychopathology did not infer parenting risk. Limitations Findings are limited by (1) small cell sizes per clinical group, limiting power, (2) sample size and sample demographics prohibited examination of third variables that might also impact parenting (e.g., income, education), (3) self-report of symptoms rather than use of psychiatric interviews. Conclusions Findings show that in the context of child abuse history and/or current PTSD, clinically significant maternal depression was the most salient factor during infancy that was associated with parenting impairment at this level of analysis.

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“…They display externally oriented thinking, instead of an internally focused understanding of emotions, which interferes with their ability to understand and relate to others, leading to less empathy and appreciation shown to those around them (De Panfilis, Ossola, Tonna, Catania, & Marchesi, 2015; Schechter et al, 2014). Consequently, these individuals have difficulty building and maintaining interpersonal relationships, have lower levels of social support, reduced social skills, and impaired mental and physical health.…”

Section: Alexithymia and Parenting Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing research linking parental alexithymia to parenting behaviors has looked almost exclusively at children during infancy and early childhood (Gianesini, 2012; Schechter et al, 2014). Research indicates that maternal alexithymia interferes with a mother’s ability to engage in and teach emotional regulation to her infant (Schechter et al, 2014).…”

Section: Parental Emotional Competence and Child Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research indicates that maternal alexithymia interferes with a mother’s ability to engage in and teach emotional regulation to her infant (Schechter et al, 2014). Studies also have found that mothers with alexithymia are more limited in their ability to share positive emotions with their children (Yürümez, Akça, Ugur, Uslu, & Kiliç, 2014).…”

Section: Parental Emotional Competence and Child Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parental emotional competence and parenting in low-income families with adolescents.

Kliewer

Borré

Wright

et al. 2016

Journal of Family Psychology

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Ample research has demonstrated that alexithymia, which is characterized by difficulty processing emotions, is associated with disruptions in parenting infants and toddlers. Individuals suffering from alexithymia have among other negative outcomes difficulty building and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Research on emotional expression and recognition has documented the importance of these competencies for the quality of the parent-child relationship and for skills critical for parents of adolescents, such as effective monitoring. However, literature linking parental alexithymia to parenting behaviors and related constructs during adolescents is lacking. The present study closes this gap by examining how mothers’ (M age = 39.42 yrs, SD = 7.62; Range = 23–67) alexithymia affects parent-reported behaviors of solicitation and control, as well as youths’ (53.6% female; M age = 12.13 yrs, SD = 1.62; Range = 9–16) reported disclosure and felt acceptance by their mothers among a sample of 358 primarily urban, African American families. Structural Equation Models revealed that mothers’ alexithymia was prospectively related to less parental solicitation two years later for both males and females, and to lower levels of felt acceptance for males. Multiple group analyses revealed that these models fits equally well for younger and older youth. Contrary to hypotheses, alexithymia was not related to control or to disclosure. Taken together, these findings indicate that parents’ difficulty in processing emotions contributes to parenting beyond early childhood.

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How do Maternal PTSD and Alexithymia Interact to Impact Maternal Behavior?

Cited by 58 publications

References 62 publications

Understanding Bidirectional Mother-Infant Affective Displays across Contexts: Effects of Maternal Maltreatment History and Postpartum Depression and PTSD Symptoms

Understanding Bidirectional Mother-Infant Affective Displays across Contexts: Effects of Maternal Maltreatment History and Postpartum Depression and PTSD Symptoms

Psychopathology and parenting: An examination of perceived and observed parenting in mothers with depression and PTSD

Parental emotional competence and parenting in low-income families with adolescents.

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