Maternal Depression and the Development of Autobiographical Memory in Children

摘要 抑郁母亲的孩子患抑郁症和其他精神疾病的风险很大，社交能力差 情绪调整，问题行为增多。考虑到严重的负面个人和 抑郁症的社会后果，重要的是了解导致抑郁的早期风险机制 对孩子的不良后果。这项拟议的研究考察了自传体记忆提取的模式 抑郁母亲的年幼子女可能导致他们易患抑郁症。虽然已经过去了 研究的重点是过于笼统的自传体记忆是易患抑郁症的潜在标志。 成年人患有抑郁症，人们对这种有问题的记忆提取模式是如何出现的知之甚少 发展，以及过度笼统的自传体记忆如何与儿童未来的问题相关。在 建议的研究，母亲抑郁(n=60)和非抑郁(n=60)的3.5到4岁的孩子将被 招募并跟踪了9个月的时间。我们试图理解1)母性因素(母性 抑郁、过于笼统的自传体记忆、回忆品质)和儿童因素(自我表征， 执行功能和性别)影响儿童的自传体记忆特性；2)儿童如何 过于笼统的自传体记忆预测儿童抑郁的早期标志；以及3)儿童 过度泛化的自传体记忆在母性因素与高血压早期标志物之间的联系中起中介作用 童年忧郁症。如果这项研究的目标能够实现，研究结果将为早期提供信息。 在降低抑郁母亲子女不良后果风险方面的预防工作。

ABSTRACT Children of depressed mothers are at significant risk for depression and other psychiatric disorders, poor social and emotional adjustment, and increased problem behaviors. Given the significant negative personal and social consequences of depression, it is important to gain an understanding of early risk mechanisms that lead to adverse child outcomes. The proposed study examines the patterns of autobiographical memory retrieval in young children of depressed mothers that may contribute to their vulnerabilities to depression. Although past research has focused on overgeneral autobiographical memory as a potential marker of vulnerability to depression in adults, little is known about how this problematic memory retrieval pattern emerges and develops, and how overgeneral autobiographical memory is related to future problems in children. In the proposed study, 3.5- to 4-year-old children of depressed (n = 60) and nondepressed (n = 60) mothers will be recruited and followed over a 9-month period. We seek to understand 1) how maternal factors (maternal depression, overgeneral autobiographical memory, reminiscing quality) and child factors (self-representation, executive function, and gender) affect children’s autobiographical memory specificity; 2) how children’s overgeneral autobiographical memory predicts early markers of childhood depression; and 3) whether child overgeneral autobiographical memory mediates the link between maternal factors and early markers of childhood depression. Should the goals of this study be met, the findings would be informative to early prevention efforts in reducing the risk for adverse outcomes among children of depressed mothers.