MATERNAL DEPRESSIVE AFFECT: ITS EFFECT ON INFANT AFFECTIVE REGULATION (DEPRESSIVE AFFECT).
Contributors: Boston University.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 314
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study examined the effect that maternal post partum depressive affect had on an infant's affective development at three months of age. A sample of 26 mother-infant pairs, 13 with maternal depressive symptomatology and 13 with no depressive symptomatology were compared for differences in infant affective regulation and affective responses during an age appropriate stressful interaction--the still-face interaction.

The women chosen were multiparous mothers followed at the maternity clinic of a large city hospital. They were assessed for depressive affect based on their scores at 6 weeks post partum and 3$1\over2$ months post partum. Maternal emotions were also assessed at 3$1\over2$ months using the Differential Emotions Scale.

The mother-infant face-to-face interaction was videotaped and using a second-by-second analysis, was coded and analyzed for infant coping behavior using the Infant Regulatory Scoring System and A System for Identifying Affect Expressions by Holistic Judgments (Affex).

Results suggest that there are significant differences in coping behaviors and emotions of infants of mothers with depressive symptomatology when confronting an age appropriate stressful situation as compared to infants of mothers with non-depressive symptomatology. Infants of mothers with depressive symptomatology showed significantly more negative signaling behavior while infants of mothers with non-depressive symptomatology demonstrated more positive signaling behavior. Infants of mothers with non-depressive symptomatology made significantly more attempts and spent proportionately more time eliciting mother by neutral and positive vocalizations whereas, infants of mothers with depressive symptomatology made significantly more attempts and spent proportionately more time eliciting mother with fussy and cry vocalizations and pick-me-up gestures.

As compared to infants of non-depressive symptomatology mothers, infants of mothers with depressive symptomatology were characterized emotionally by significantly more displays of anger and significantly fewer displays of infant joy and interest.

Contrary to expectation, however, there were no differences between infants of mothers with depressive symptomatology and those with non-depressive symptomatology for self-comforting behavior, object engagement and infant distancing and distress indicators.

This study also found that correlational analysis indicated a significant relationship between post partum patterns of maternal emotions and infant coping behavior and affect. Negative maternal emotions showed a clear positively correlated relationship with infant negative facial displays, negative vocalizations, and distress indicators while positive maternal emotions were positively correlated with positive vocalizations and infant object attend behavior.

The implications of this data and the potential complexity of the relationship between maternal depressive affect and infant coping behavior are discussed. Recommendations for further propective research are proposed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-09, Section: B, page: 3919.

Thesis (D.N.SC.)--BOSTON UNIVERSITY, 1988.

School code: 0017.