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， 情绪调整和问题行为增加。鉴于个人和 抑郁症的社会后果，重要的是要了解导致抑郁症的早期风险机制， 对儿童的不良影响。这项研究旨在探讨自传体记忆提取的模式， 抑郁母亲的幼儿可能会导致他们容易患抑郁症。尽管过去的 研究集中在过度概括的自传体记忆作为脆弱性的潜在标志， 在成年人的抑郁症中，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，以及过度概括的自传体记忆与儿童未来问题的关系。在 在一项拟议的研究中，抑郁症母亲（n = 60）和非抑郁症母亲（n = 60）的3.5至4岁儿童将被 招募并随访了9个月。我们试图了解1）母亲因素（母亲 抑郁症，过度概括的自传体记忆，回忆质量）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异性; 2）儿童的 过度概括的自传体记忆可以预测儿童抑郁症的早期标志物; 3）儿童是否 过度概括的自传体记忆介导了母亲因素和早期标记物之间的联系。 童年抑郁症。如果这项研究的目标得以实现，研究结果将对早期 预防工作，以减少抑郁母亲的子女出现不良后果的风险。

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.