1
|
Gregersen M, Ellersgaard D, Søndergaard A, Christiani C, Hemager N, Spang KS, Burton BK, Uddin MJ, Ohland J, Gantriis D, Greve A, Hjorthøj C, Mors O, Plessen KJ, Nordentoft M, Clemmensen L, Jepsen JRM, Thorup AAE. Attachment representations in 7-year-old children at familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder: Associations with mental disorders and daily functioning: The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study, VIA 7-A population-based cohort study. Scand J Psychol 2023; 64:776-783. [PMID: 37309265 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attachment quality may affect psychological functioning. However, evidence on attachment representations and their correlates in children born to parents with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is sparse. METHODS We compared attachment representations in a Danish sample of 482 children aged 7 years at familial high risk of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and population-based controls and examined associations between attachment and mental disorders and daily functioning. Attachment representations were examined with the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP). Mental disorders were ascertained in diagnostic interviews. Daily functioning was assessed with the Children's Global Assessment Scale. RESULTS We found no between-group differences in attachment. Higher levels of secure attachment were associated with decreased risk of concurrent mental disorders in the schizophrenia high-risk group. Higher levels of insecure and disorganized attachment were associated with increased risk of mental disorders across the cohort. Higher levels of secure and insecure attachment were associated with better and poorer daily functioning, respectively. In the current study, results regarding defensive avoidance could not be reported due to methodological limitations. CONCLUSION Familial high risk of schizophrenia (FHR-SZ) or bipolar disorder is not associated with less secure or more insecure attachment at age 7. Insecure and disorganized attachment representations index risk of mental disorders and poorer functioning. Secure attachment may be a protective factor against mental disorders in children at FHR-SZ. Validation of the SSAP is needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maja Gregersen
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ditte Ellersgaard
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Søndergaard
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Camilla Christiani
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Nicoline Hemager
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Katrine Søborg Spang
- Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Birgitte Klee Burton
- Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatry Region Zealand, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Md Jamal Uddin
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jessica Ohland
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ditte Gantriis
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Aja Greve
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Carsten Hjorthøj
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole Mors
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Kerstin Jessica Plessen
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Merete Nordentoft
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Clemmensen
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Prasad AH, Keevers Y, Kaouar S, Kimonis ER. Conception and Development of the Warmth/Affection Coding System (WACS): A Novel Hybrid Behavioral Observational Tool for Assessing Parent-to-Child Warmth. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2023; 51:1357-1369. [PMID: 37079146 PMCID: PMC10474998 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-023-01055-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
A vast body of research and theory underscores the importance of parental warmth/affection (hereby 'warmth' and 'warmth/affection' are used interchangeably) as a distinct relational process that is fundamental to core developmental processes including parent-child attachment, socialization, emotion recognition and responsivity, and empathic development. The increasing focus on parental warmth as a viable transdiagnostic and specific treatment target for Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits highlights the critical need for a reliable and valid tool for measuring this construct within clinical contexts. However, existing assessment methods have limitations in their ecological validity, clinical utility, and the comprehensiveness of their coverage of core warmth subcomponents. In response to this clinical and research need, the observational Warmth/Affection Coding System (WACS) was developed to comprehensively measure parent-to-child warmth/affection. This paper chronicles the conception and development of the WACS, which adopts a hybrid approach of utilizing both microsocial and macro-observational coding methods to capture key verbal and non-verbal subcomponents of warmth that are currently underrepresented or poorly captured by existing assessment tools. Recommendations for implementation and future directions are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashneeta H Prasad
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, 2052, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Yvette Keevers
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, 2052, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Silvana Kaouar
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, 2052, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Eva R Kimonis
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, 2052, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Windhorst DA, Klein Velderman M, van der Pal S, de Weerth C. The effects and process of the intervention "Individual Shantala Infant Massage" in preventive child healthcare to improve parent-child interaction: study protocol for a quasi-experimental study. BMC Complement Med Ther 2023; 23:231. [PMID: 37434181 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04039-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individual Shantala Infant Massage is an intervention that is offered by several Dutch Preventive Child Healthcare (PCH) organizations as optional preventive support, in addition to basic care as offered to all children. It targets vulnerable families and aims to enhance sensitive parenting and to reduce (effects of) parental stress. The intervention is carried out by a certified nurse. It consists of three structured home visits. Parents learn to massage their infant and receive parenting support. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and the process of the intervention. The main hypothesis is that Individual Shantala Infant Massage leads to increased parental sensitive responsiveness, lower perceived and physiological parental stress, and improved child growth and development in the intervention group, compared to a control group where this intervention is not offered by PCH. Secondary research questions address effects on parenting confidence and parental concerns regarding the infant, the influence of background characteristics and the intervention process. METHODS The study is a quasi-experimental non-randomized trial. The aim is to include 150 infant-parent dyads in both the intervention and the control group. This takes into account possible attrition and missing data as 105 dyads with complete data per group are sufficient for analysis. All participants complete questionnaires at T0 (pre-test, child age between six-sixteen weeks), T1 (post-intervention, or ± four weeks after T0), and T2 (follow-up at five months). At T2, a hair tuft is cut from the parents' head to measure hair cortisol levels. Data on infant growth and development is obtained from PCH files. In the intervention group, additional data is collected to evaluate the intervention process: parents complete an evaluation questionnaire at T1, nurses keep semi-structured logbooks of intervention sessions and interviews are conducted with parents and professionals. DISCUSSION Study results can contribute to the evidence base of infant massage as applied in Dutch PCH, and can inform parents, PCH practitioners, policy makers and researchers both inside and outside the Netherlands on feasibility and effectiveness of the infant massage intervention as applied in this format and setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN16929184. Date (retrospectively) registered: 29/03/2022.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dafna A Windhorst
- Department of Child Health, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Mariska Klein Velderman
- Department of Child Health, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvia van der Pal
- Department of Child Health, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Carolina de Weerth
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
De Palma M, Rooney R, Izett E, Mancini V, Kane R. The relationship between parental mental health, reflective functioning coparenting and social emotional development in 0-3 year old children. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1054723. [PMID: 37325734 PMCID: PMC10267873 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1054723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The transition to parenthood is a high-risk period for many parents and is an important period for child development. Research has identified that parental mental health, reflective functioning (capacity to consider mental states of oneself and others) and coparenting (capacity to work together well as a parenting team) may be particularly significant predictors of later child outcomes, however these factors have seldom been considered together. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the relationship between these factors and the extent to which they predict child social emotional development. Methods Three hundred and fifty parents of infants aged 0 to 3 years 11 months were recruited to complete an online Qualtrics questionnaire. Results Results indicate that both positive coparenting and parental reflective functioning (Pre-mentalizing and Certainty subscales) were found to significantly predict child development. General reflective functioning (Uncertainty subscale) predicted parental depression and anxiety, however unexpectedly, parental mental health was not a significant predictor of child development, but did predict coparenting. General reflective functioning (Certainty subscale) was also found to predict coparenting, which in turn was found to predict parental reflective functioning. We found an indirect effect of general reflective functioning (Certainty) on child SE development via parental reflective functioning (Pre-mentalizing). We also found an indirect effect of negative coparenting on child development via parental reflective functioning (Pre-mentalizing). Discussion The current results support a growing body of research highlighting the important role reflective functioning plays in child development and wellbeing as well as parental mental health and the interparental relationship.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mia De Palma
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Rosanna Rooney
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Izett
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Vincent Mancini
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
- Division of Paediatrics, UWA Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Robert Kane
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cheng N, Ruan X, Wu Z, Yue X, Wang Z. The effect of maternal empathy on infants' attachment security: Moderation by maternal emotion regulation and infant temperament. Psych J 2023. [PMID: 36750399 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between maternal empathy and infants' attachment security and tested the moderating effects of maternal emotion regulation and infant negative emotional temperament. Participants were sampled from 215 families whose infants were 6 months old (T1) and from 170 families of the same cohort whose infants were 14 months old (T2). At T1, mothers were measured for their empathy (empathic concern and perspective taking), emotion regulation (reappraisal and suppression), and infant negative emotional temperament (sadness, falling reactivity, fear, and distress to limitations). At T2, mothers were again measured for their emotion regulation, and infant attachment was measured using the Strange Situation Procedure. Maternal empathic concern (EC) and perspective taking (PT) were found to be positively related to infant attachment security, while maternal reappraisal and infant temperamental sadness moderated the relationship between maternal PT and infant attachment security. No significant moderation effects were found between maternal EC and infant attachment security. Simple slope results showed that for infants with higher maternal reappraisal or infant sadness, maternal PT could positively predict infant attachment security. These findings highlight the importance of how the individual characteristics of mothers and infants may interact with maternal empathy during the critical period of infant attachment formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nanhua Cheng
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Research Center for Child Development, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xingjian Ruan
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Research Center for Child Development, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhijun Wu
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Research Center for Child Development, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaodong Yue
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengyan Wang
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Research Center for Child Development, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zdebik MA, Pascuzzo K, Bureau JF, Moss E. Childhood behavioral inhibition and attachment: Links to generalized anxiety disorder in young adulthood. Front Psychol 2022; 13:933213. [PMID: 36148103 PMCID: PMC9487417 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is under-treated yet prevalent among young adults. Identifying early risk factors for GAD would contribute to its etiological model and identify potential targets for intervention. Insecure attachment patterns, specifically ambivalent and disorganized, have long been proposed as childhood risk factors for GAD. Similarly, childhood behavioral inhibition has been consistently associated with anxiety disorders in adulthood, including GAD. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to react negatively to uncertain situations, has also been shown to be a crucial component of GAD. Furthermore, maternal anxiety is an important feature of developmental models of anxiety including GAD. Yet, to date, no study has examined, within a comprehensive model, how attachment and behavioral inhibition in childhood, maternal anxiety in adolescence, and IU in emerging adulthood contribute to GAD in adulthood. The present study thus examines these links using a longitudinal design with 62 Canadian participants and their mothers. At age 6, participants' attachment and behavioral inhibition were assessed observationally. Maternal anxiety was measured when participants were 14 years of age. IU and GAD were assessed when participants were 21 and 23 years of age, respectively. Structural equation modeling showed that IU mediates the relationships between behavioral inhibition and GAD, while controlling for maternal anxiety. Ambivalent and disorganized-controlling attachment patterns are also indirectly associated with increased GAD symptoms via greater IU scores. Furthermore, a direct and positive effect of behaviorally disorganized attachment was found on GAD symptoms. This longitudinal study supports integrating attachment, behavioral inhibition, and IU in a model of GAD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena A. Zdebik
- Département de psychoéducation et de psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Magdalena A. Zdebik
| | - Katherine Pascuzzo
- Département de psychoéducation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | | | - Ellen Moss
- Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lubiewska K, Sümer N, Głogowska K, Aran Ö, de Raad W. Associations Among Maternal Positivity, Negativity and Child Attachment in the Netherlands, Poland, and Turkey. Front Psychol 2022; 13:820699. [PMID: 35656492 PMCID: PMC9152534 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.820699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study addresses how maternal positivity and negativity toward a child in three countries, separately and in combination are related to attachment in middle childhood. We first developed an ecologically valid emic measure of the Maternal Positivity-Negativity Scale through an interview-based study (90 mothers) and then tested our hypotheses in a separate study. The child's attachment security (where the child uses the mother as a safe haven and secure base) and insecurity (attachment anxiety and avoidance) were assessed using standard measures. Equal numbers of mothers and their children between 8 and 12 years of age from Poland, Turkey, and the Netherlands participated in the main study (756 dyads). Results revealed that: (1) maternal positivity was more strongly associated, than maternal negativity, with child security; (2) maternal negativity was more strongly associated, than maternal positivity, with child anxiety, and its relation was stronger when maternal positivity was low; (3) maternal negativity was more strongly associated with child anxiety than with child avoidance; (4) the maternal positivity-over-negativity prevalence index was related to child attachment security and insecurity; (5) relations between maternal positivity and child attachment were moderated by culture. Results are discussed considering attachment in middle childhood and culture-related perspectives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Lubiewska
- Department of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Psychology, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Nebi Sümer
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Karolina Głogowska
- Department of Psychology, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Özlü Aran
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Wouter de Raad
- Department of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Muzard A, Olhaberry M, Immel N, Moran-Kneer J. Family dynamics. An exploration of parental sensitivity and depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers of toddlers. RESEARCH IN PSYCHOTHERAPY: PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, PROCESS AND OUTCOME 2021; 24:551. [PMID: 35047427 PMCID: PMC8715268 DOI: 10.4081/ripppo.2021.551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
In studies of maternal sensitivity, the influence of mothers’ depressive symptomatology has been consistently highlighted. Additionally, the relevance of both maternal and paternal sensitive responses to children’s development has been recognized. However, literature regarding the dynamics of the mother-father-toddler triad is scarce. This is particularly true when understanding how parental sensitivity may be bidirectionally shaped by both parents’ (i.e., mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptomatology) and children’s characteristics (i.e., age). Hence, the present study aims to describe and analyse the associations between parental depression, paternal sensitivity and children’s socioemotional difficulties and age with mothers’ sensitive responses to highlight the appropriateness of considering fathers’ depressive symptoms and sensitivity to better understand the impact of maternal depressive symptomatology on mothers’ sensitivity. The participants included 80 Chilean mother-father-child triads in which all children were between 1 and 3 years of age and presented some degree of socioemotional difficulty. The results reveal no differences in maternal and paternal sensitivity or higher depressive symptomatology in mothers than in fathers. Additionally, while mothers’ depression was significantly associated with their sensitivity, this was not the case for fathers. Paternal depressive symptomatology was associated with the mother’s depression. Finally, paternal sensitivity emerged as a mediator between maternal depressive symptoms and sensitivity. This result calls attention to the use of paternal variables to understand how maternal depression impacts mothers’ sensitivity and to thus develop appropriate interventions that expand the scope of such impacts from the dyad to the triad.
Collapse
|