Stress, depression, and the mother-infant relationship across the first year

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请旨在研究慢性日常压力在产后抑郁症过程中的作用，对婴儿认知和情感发育的负面影响，以及母婴关系对婴儿发育的中介作用。慢性压力与抑郁症的发病和病程有关，多达19%的妇女（49%的墨西哥裔美国妇女）患有产后抑郁症，使其成为一个重大的公共卫生问题。暴露于母亲抑郁症在婴儿早期有显着的长期影响的几个发展过程。有大量文献详细描述了产后抑郁症对婴儿适应的负面影响，包括认知功能和情绪调节技能的发展方面的缺陷。这是可能的，这些发展能力可能依赖于母婴关系的质量，这种关系介导的母亲抑郁症的影响。拟议的研究计划将测试几个模型，以解决日常压力的作用，抑郁症对母婴关系和婴儿能力的影响，以及母婴关系质量对婴儿发育的中介作用。数据将从一个更大的纵向研究，探讨婴儿和他们的抑郁症，墨西哥裔美国母亲之间的协同调节过程。测量包括母亲自我报告的压力，抑郁和婴儿的情绪调节;观察母婴互动;和评估婴儿的认知和情绪发展在产后第一年。这些数据使我们有机会纵向探讨与高危人群中产后抑郁症和婴儿发育相关的重要公共卫生问题。 公共卫生相关性：这项研究具有重要的公共卫生意义，因为墨西哥裔美国妇女产后抑郁症的患病率很高，而且对婴儿发育有重大影响。有早期发育风险的婴儿更有可能患有心理健康问题，在青春期的学习成绩较差，长期适应能力较差。需要更好地了解这种负面影响的运作机制，以告知预防和干预方案，促进儿童健康发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The current application seeks to investigate the role of chronic daily stress in the course of postpartum depression, the negative impact on infant cognitive and emotional development, and the mediating role of the mother-infant relationship on infant development. Chronic stress is linked to the onset and course of depression, and as many as 19% of women (49% of Mexican-American women) suffer from postpartum depression, making it a significant public health concern. Exposure to maternal depression during early infancy has significant long-term effects on several developmental processes. There is a substantial literature that details the negative effects of postpartum depression on infant adaptation, including deficits in both cognitive functioning and the development of emotion regulation skills. It is possible that these developmental competencies may be dependent upon mother-infant relationship quality, and that this relationship mediates the effects of maternal depression. The proposed research plan will test several models to address the role of daily stress, the impact of depression on the mother-infant relationship and infant competencies, and the mediational role of the quality of the mother-infant relationship on infant development. Data will be drawn from a larger longitudinal study that explores coregulatory processes between infants and their depressed, Mexican-American mothers. Measurements include maternal self-reports of stress, depression, and infant emotional regulation; observations of mother-infant interactions; and assessment of infant cognitive and emotional development across the first postpartum year. These data allow the opportunity to longitudinally explore important public health issues related to postpartum depression and infant development in a high risk population. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research has important public health implications due to high prevalence rates of postpartum depression in Mexican-American women and the significant impact it is found to have on infant development. Infants with early developmental risk are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, have poorer academic achievement through adolescence, and have poorer long-term adjustment. A better understanding of the mechanisms through which this negative impact operates is needed to inform prevention and intervention programs to promote healthy child development.