Perinatal anxiety and depressive symptoms and perception of child behavior and temperament in early motherhood

Abstract The perinatal period is a vulnerable time for the development of psychopathology, particularly mood and anxiety disorders. In the study of maternal anxiety, important questions remain regarding the association between maternal anxiety symptoms and subsequent child outcomes. This study examined the association between depressive and anxiety symptoms, namely social anxiety, panic, and agoraphobia disorder symptoms during the perinatal period and maternal perception of child behavior, specifically different facets of development and temperament. Participants (N = 104) were recruited during pregnancy from a community sample. Participants completed clinician-administered and self-report measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 16 months postpartum; child behavior and temperament outcomes were assessed at 16 months postpartum. Child development areas included gross and fine motor skills, language and problem-solving abilities, and personal/social skills. Child temperament domains included surgency, negative affectivity, and effortful control. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that elevated prenatal social anxiety symptoms significantly predicted more negative maternal report of child behavior across most measured domains. Elevated prenatal social anxiety and panic symptoms predicted more negative maternal report of child effortful control. Depressive and agoraphobia symptoms were not significant predictors of child outcomes. Elevated anxiety symptoms appear to have a distinct association with maternal report of child development and temperament. Considering the relative influence of anxiety symptoms, particularly social anxiety, on maternal report of child behavior and temperament can help to identify potential difficulties early on in mother–child interactions as well as inform interventions for women and their families.

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A comparison of the effects of maternal anxiety and depression on child development

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.275 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

S Gete ◽

R Calderon-Margalit ◽

I Grotto ◽

A Ornoy

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Social Skills ◽

Child Development ◽

Maternal Depression ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Maternal Anxiety ◽

Fine Motor ◽

Depression And Anxiety

Abstract Background Most studies on the association between the mental health of mothers and the development of their offspring have focused on maternal depression, but only a few have investigated the association between maternal anxiety and child development. We aimed to compare the associations between maternal depression and anxiety symptoms 6-8 weeks postpartum and infant development at 1 year. Methods We conducted a longitudinal study of 396 mother-child dyads. The mothers were recruited after birth in 3 different hospitals in Israel in 2017 and were followed for one year. Mothers were assessed by completing the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) 6-8 weeks postpartum. Child development was assessed by the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3) at 12 months. Multivariate linear regressions were used to explore the relationship between the EPDS and GAD-7 scores and child development, all as continuous variables, adjusting for maternal education, parity, and gender. Results Depressive symptoms postpartum were only associated with poor personal-social skills (β=-0.5, 95% CI: -0.91, -0.08). Increasing maternal anxiety was associated with poorer development in communication skills (β =-0.48, 95% CI: -0.93, -0.04), personal-social skills (β =-1.02, 95% CI: -1.58, -0.46), solving problems skills (β =-0.7, 95% CI: -1.27, -0.14) and fine motor skills (β =-0.46, 95% CI: -0.9, -0.02). Neither anxiety nor depressive symptoms were associated with gross motor skills. Controlling for quality of attachment, the associations of depression and anxiety with development were no longer significant, suggesting mediation. Conclusions Postpartum anxiety was a stronger predictor of low developmental scores than depression, and associations were probably mediated by impaired attachment. Identifying and supporting mothers experiencing anxiety after birth may mitigate the risk of developmental delays in children. Key messages Maternal anxiety was found to be a significant risk factor for developmental delay at 1 year of age. The association between maternal anxiety and child development was probably mediated by attachment.

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Transactional relations between early child temperament, structured parenting, and child outcomes: A three-wave longitudinal study

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419000841 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 923-933 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pan Liu ◽

Katie R. Kryski ◽

Heather J. Smith ◽

Marc F. Joanisse ◽

Elizabeth P. Hayden

Keyword(s):

Child Behavior ◽

Effortful Control ◽

Child Outcomes ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Active Role ◽

Child Temperament ◽

Academic Problems ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Child Problems

AbstractWhile child self-regulation is shaped by the environment (e.g., the parents’ caregiving behaviors), children also play an active role in influencing the care they receive, indicating that children's individual differences should be integrated in models relating early care to children's development. We assessed 409 children's observed temperamental behavioral inhibition (BI), effortful control (EC), and the primary caregiver's parenting at child ages 3 and 5. Parents reported on child behavior problems at child ages 3, 5, and 8. Mediation analyses were conducted to examine relations between child temperament and parenting in predicting child problems. BI at age 3 was positively associated with structured parenting at age 5, which was negatively related to child internalizing and attention-academic problems at age 8. In contrast, parenting at child age 3 did not predict child BI or EC at age 5, nor did age 3 EC predict parenting at age 5. Findings indicate that child behavior may shape the development of caregiving and, in turn, long-term child adjustment, suggesting that studies of caregiving and child outcomes should consider the role of child temperament toward developing more informative models of child–environment interplay.

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Prevalence of antenatal and postnatal anxiety: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.116.187179 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 210 (5) ◽

pp. 315-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 208

Author(s):

Cindy-Lee Dennis ◽

Kobra Falah-Hassani ◽

Rahman Shiri

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Child Outcomes ◽

First Trimester ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Maternal Anxiety ◽

Generalised Anxiety Disorder ◽

Middle Income ◽

Meta Analyses ◽

Postnatal Anxiety

BackgroundMaternal anxiety negatively influences child outcomes. Reliable estimates have not been established because of varying published prevalence rates.AimsTo establish summary estimates for the prevalence of maternal anxiety in the antenatal and postnatal periods.MethodWe searched multiple databases including MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO to identify studies published up to January 2016 with data on the prevalence of antenatal or postnatal anxiety. Data were extracted from published reports and any missing information was requested from investigators. Estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses.ResultsWe reviewed 23 468 abstracts, retrieved 783 articles and included 102 studies incorporating 221 974 women from 34 countries. The prevalence for self-reported anxiety symptoms was 18.2% (95% CI 13.6–22.8) in the first trimester, 19.1% (95% CI 15.9–22.4) in the second trimester and 24.6% (95% CI 21.2–28.0) in the third trimester. The overall prevalence for a clinical diagnosis of any anxiety disorder was 15.2% (95% CI 9.0–21.4) and 4.1% (95% CI 1.9–6.2) for a generalised anxiety disorder. Postnatally, the prevalence for anxiety symptoms overall at 1–24 weeks was 15.0% (95% CI 13.7–16.4). The prevalence for any anxiety disorder over the same period was 9.9% (95% CI 6.1–13.8), and 5.7% (95% CI 2.3–9.2) for a generalised anxiety disorder. Rates were higher in low- to middle-income countries.ConclusionsResults suggest perinatal anxiety is highly prevalent and merits clinical attention. Research is warranted to develop evidence-based interventions.

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Do the associations between exuberance and emotion regulation depend on effortful control?

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025409355514 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 462-472 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Tracy A. Dennis ◽

Melanie Hong ◽

Beylul Solomon

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Effortful Control ◽

Risk And Resilience ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Maternal Report

Temperamentally exuberant children may be at risk for emotion regulation problems, but this may also depend on their capacity for effortful control. To examine this issue, we assessed 72 typically-developing 3- to 5-year-olds. Child exuberance, effortful control, and emotion regulation were assessed via maternal report and observations of child behavior. Emotion regulation problems were elevated among children showing high exuberance and among children showing low effortful control. However, during a disappointing task, children with high exuberance showed stable, elevated levels of organized emotion regulation regardless of effortful control; for children with low exuberance, only those who also showed high effortful control showed comparable levels of organized emotion regulation. Implications for understanding risk and resilience associated with exuberance are discussed.

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Parenting Behaviors and Anxiety in Young Adults

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000169 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 170-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Erin N. Stevens ◽

Joseph R. Bardeen ◽

Kyle W. Murdock

Keyword(s):

Effortful Control ◽

Parenting Behaviors ◽

Protective Role ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Parental Overprotection ◽

High Control ◽

Development Of Anxiety ◽

The Relationship

Parenting behaviors – specifically behaviors characterized by high control, intrusiveness, rejection, and overprotection – and effortful control have each been implicated in the development of anxiety pathology. However, little research has examined the protective role of effortful control in the relation between parenting and anxiety symptoms, specifically among adults. Thus, we sought to explore the unique and interactive effects of parenting and effortful control on anxiety among adults (N = 162). Results suggest that effortful control uniquely contributes to anxiety symptoms above and beyond that of any parenting behavior. Furthermore, effortful control acted as a moderator of the relationship between parental overprotection and anxiety, such that overprotection is associated with anxiety only in individuals with lower levels of effortful control. Implications for potential prevention and intervention efforts which specifically target effortful control are discussed. These findings underscore the importance of considering individual differences in self-regulatory abilities when examining associations between putative early-life risk factors, such as parenting, and anxiety symptoms.

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