FUNCTIONING OF DEPRESSED MOTHERS IN AND BETWEEN EPISODES

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Are maternal childrearing, behavioral deficits characteristic of women with a history of depression, or are difficulties present only when mothers are experiencing an acute episode of depression? Are there certain patterns of aberrant child-related behaviors that wax and wane with depressive episodes and other patterns that reflect more or less enduring behavioral characteristics of depressed mothers? In this longitudinal study it is possible to compare maternal characteristics of two groups of mothers with a history of affective disorder: those who are in an episode and those who are between episodes of depression at the time of their participation in the study, when they are observed with their children. Depressed mothers who are functioning as the principal childrearing agent and who are currently in episode were found not to be more likely than those who are not in episode to report behavior problems in their children. Both groups, however, report significantly more child behavior problems than mothers without a history of depression. In current analyses, mother's observed behavior involving control practices and emotion expression and regulation are examined in relation to mother's episode status.