The Role of Infant EEG, Mothers' Prenatal Anxiety and Parenting Behaviors in the Association Between Mothers' Perinatal Depression and Infant Positive Affect Public

Abstract

Abstract
The Role of Infant EEG, Mothers' Prenatal Anxiety and Parenting Behaviors in the Association Between Mothers' Perinatal Depression and Infant Positive Affect

The present study sought to examine the relationship between mothers' cumulative depression symptom levels during the prenatal and postpartum periods and infant positive affect (PA) at 3 and 6 months of age. Participants were 194 mothers with a history of depression and/or anxiety and their 3- and 6-month old infants. Mothers' depression symptom levels were assessed during the prenatal and postpartum periods using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). When the infants were 3 and 6 months of age, mothers and their infants visited the lab to complete a series of videotaped segments. State PA was assessed using continuous coding of affect exhibited during the mother-infant free play interactions and trait PA was measured using the Surgency/Extraversion factor on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R). We tested mediators for the relationship between mothers' depression and infant PA: infant electroencephalography (EEG) asymmetry scores and parenting quality behaviors (ratings of observed sensitivity/responsiveness, withdrawal and time spent in PA). Mothers' postpartum depression symptom levels for the first 3 months and first 6 months postpartum were each significantly negatively correlated with infant trait PA at 6 months (r(159) = -.23, p < .01; r(132) = -.26, p < .01), but were not significantly associated with any of the other PA indices. Mothers' prenatal symptom levels were not significantly associated with infant PA at 3 or 6 months. Also, neither infant EEG nor parenting quality mediated the association between mothers' depression symptoms during the first 6 months postpartum and infant trait PA at 6 months. Mothers' prenatal anxiety symptom levels, did not significantly predict infant PA. Results suggest mothers' cumulative postpartum depression symptom levels, particularly during the first 3 months of the postpartum period, influence the temperament form of infant PA at 6 months. Future research should examine the PA trajectories of infants of depressed mothers during the first 6 months and beyond.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction...1
Method...18
Results...33
Discussion...40
References...50
Tables...62
Figure...73

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Psychology
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Developmental
Mot-clé	depression infant affect positive
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Goodman, Sherryl H, Emory University
Committee Members	Strock, Barbara, Emory University Ristaino, Christine, Emory University

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