DEPRESSION RISK, INFANT-MOTHER ATTACHMENT AND CORTISOL

这个子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和调查员(PI)可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可能会出现在其他CRISE条目中。列出的机构是针对中心的，而不一定是针对调查员的机构。我们感兴趣的是研究有抑郁风险的母亲以及她们在生命的前14个月与婴儿的互动。我们之所以对这个话题感兴趣，是因为在过去十年里，许多长期研究证实，父母患有情感疾病的孩子比父母未受影响的家庭的孩子患精神障碍的风险更大。虽然遗传倾向在这些人身上很明显，但社会、家庭和环境因素也是很强的预测因素。特别是，母亲抑郁对启动这一进程的影响可能是巨大的，因为抑郁影响到母婴单位沟通的许多方面。语速、声音质量、眼神接触和行为反应是母婴关系的核心方面，这些因素在生命早期就会发展起来，并受到抑郁症的影响。尽管母亲行为的这些变化可能看起来很微妙，但它们干扰了婴儿神经、运动和社交发育的促进。因此，该项目的一部分侧重于观察和记录(通过自我报告)母亲在定期安排的家访期间与婴儿的感受和互动。这项研究的另一部分重点是确定随着母亲怀孕、出生以及母婴关系的成熟，与抑郁有关的压力相关荷尔蒙如何随着时间的推移而发生变化。其目的是为了更好地了解这些激素的早期发展在抑郁障碍演变中的作用。在生命早期识别行为、异常荷尔蒙功能及其时间关系将允许早期干预策略，这可能对母亲的情感和婴儿的身体和情感发展都有利。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. We are interested in studying mothers that are at risk for depression and their interaction with their infants during the first 14 months of life. The reason that we are interested in this topic is that over the last decade a number of long-term studies have confirmed that children of affectively ill parents are at a greater risk for psychiatric disorders than children from homes with unaffected parents. Although a genetic predisposition is clearly evident in these individuals, social, familial and environmental factors are also strong predictors. In particular, the impact of maternal depression on the initiation of this process may be substantial, as depression affects many facets of communication in the maternal-infant unit. Rate of speech, voice quality, eye-to-eye contact and behavioral responsiveness are core aspects of the mother-infant relationship which develop early in life and are affected by depression. Although these changes in the mother's behavior may appear to be subtle they interfere with the facilitation of the infant's neurological, motor and social development. Therefore a portion of this project focuses on observing and recording (through self-report) mothers' feelings and interactions with their babies during periodically scheduled home visits. Another portion of this study focuses on determining how stress related hormones which have been linked to depression may change overtime as the mother progresses through her pregnancy, at birth and in both mother and infant, as the maternal-infant relationship matures. The purpose is to better understand the role of early development of these hormones on the evolution of depressive disorders. Identifying behaviors, abnormal hormonal function and its temporal relationships early in life will allow for early intervention strategies that may be beneficial for both mother's affect and the infant's physical and emotional development.