INFANTS OF CHRONICALLY DEPRESSED AND NORMAL PARENTS

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Research has shown that children of depressed parents are at risk for development of affective illness, but little is known about the effects of parental affective psychopathology on infants during the first eighteen months of life. This study examines early affective regulation, attachment behavior, and patterns of mother- infant interaction in infants of two groups of parents: (1) depressed mothers and well fathers, and (2) both parents without psychiatric illness. Parents are screened by structured psychiatric interview (SADS-L) and also complete questionnaire measures of marital adjustment (DAS). Infants and their mothers are observed and videotaped in a set of standard situations in a homelike laboratory setting on two occasions five months apart, beginning when the infants are age 3 months, 8 months, or 13 months. Data collection has been completed. The findings on attachment replicate an early study in this laboratory of a higher rate of insecure attachment in 1 1/2 year olds of affectively ill mothers, than in children of well mothers. Data coding on other aspects of infant and mother behavior is in progress.