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

描述(申请人提供)：目前的申请旨在调查慢性日常压力在产后抑郁过程中的作用，对婴儿认知和情感发展的负面影响，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%的女性(49%的墨西哥裔美国女性)患有产后抑郁症，这使其成为一个重大的公共卫生问题。在婴儿早期暴露在母亲抑郁中对几个发育过程有重大的长期影响。有大量文献详细描述了产后抑郁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。这些发展能力可能依赖于母婴关系的质量，这种关系可能中介了母亲抑郁的影响。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。数据将来自一项更大的纵向研究，该研究探索婴儿和他们抑郁的墨西哥裔美国母亲之间的共同调节过程。测量包括母亲对压力、抑郁和婴儿情绪调节的自我报告；对母婴互动的观察；以及对婴儿在产后第一年的认知和情绪发展的评估。这些数据使我们有机会在高危人群中纵向探索与产后抑郁和婴儿发育有关的重要公共卫生问题。 公共卫生相关性：拟议的研究具有重要的公共卫生影响，因为墨西哥裔美国妇女产后抑郁症的患病率很高，而且被发现对婴儿发育有重大影响。早期发育风险的婴儿更有可能出现心理健康问题，青春期学习成绩较差，长期适应能力较差。需要更好地了解这种负面影响的作用机制，以便为促进儿童健康发展的预防和干预方案提供信息。

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.