Postnatal Parental Depression, Family Dynamics in Early Parenting

描述（由申请人提供）：父母和家庭特征已被明确记录为对儿童发展的影响，并特别关注早期养育。具体来说，相当多的文献记录了早期母亲抑郁症对儿童发育，心理健康和成功调整的负面影响。对父亲抑郁症的影响或家庭系统中抑郁症的性质的关注要少得多。初步研究表明，父母关系可能在解释父母的抑郁障碍水平与儿童功能下降之间的明显相关性方面发挥关键作用。目前的试点项目将在一个前瞻性队列设计中招募80对母亲/父亲，该设计将在产前和产后1个月、3个月和9个月测量抑郁、父母关系质量、共同养育和早期养育经验。通过使用这种设计，本研究将描述的过程和变化动力学在父母双方的早期父母抑郁症，以及关系和coparenting干扰在持久的抑郁症在家庭系统中发挥的作用。此外，这些因素，一起将被检查的影响，对早期共同养育和养育的经验，这是关键的机制，通过父母的抑郁可能会传达其负面影响的儿童功能。 公共卫生相关性：儿童的健康和发展受到早期养育质量的强烈影响，而早期养育质量本身对父母的痛苦和抑郁症很敏感。相当多的证据表明，早期母亲抑郁症是儿童不良结局的主要风险因素，包括儿童情绪和行为障碍。新的信息表明，早期父亲抑郁症可能也是如此，而且，抑郁症可能与伴侣之间有关。这项拟议的研究将通过提供有关新家庭抑郁症动态的信息，沿着潜在的风险因素和为新父母制定干预和预防策略的杠杆点，使公众健康受益。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Parental and family characteristics have been clearly documented as influential on child development and particular attention has been paid to early parenting. Specifically, a considerable literature documents the negative effects of early maternal depression on child development, mental health, and successful adjustment. Much less focus has been placed on the effects of paternal depression or the nature of depression within a family system. Preliminary studies have suggested that parental relationship may play a key role in both explaining the apparent correlation between parents' levels of depressive symptomatology and decrements in child functioning. The current pilot project will enroll 80 mother/father pairs in a prospective cohort design that will measure depression, parental relationship quality, coparenting, and early parenting experiences prenatally and at 1, 3, and 9 months postnatally. By using this design, the present study will describe the course and change dynamics in early parental depression in both parents as well as the role that relationship and coparenting disturbance plays in perpetuating depression within a family system. Moreover, these factors, taken together will be examined for effects on early coparenting and parenting experiences, which are critical mechanisms through which parental depression presumably conveys its negative effects to child functioning. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Child health and development is strongly influenced by early parenting quality, which is itself sensitive to parental distress and depressive disorders. Considerable evidence suggests that early maternal depression is a major risk factor for poor child outcomes including child emotional and behavioral disturbances. New information suggests that the same may be true for early paternal depression and, moreover, that depression may correlate between partners. The proposed study will benefit the public health through providing information about the dynamics of depression in new families, along with potential risk factors and leverage points for the development of intervention and prevention strategies for new parents.