Parental representations and subclinical changes in postpartum mood
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11276748 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Linda C Mayes (0000-0002-9590-7128, corresponding author), James F Leckman (0000-0002-3902-4478) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 281-295 |
| Publication date | 2007-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Infant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/imhj.20136 |
| PMID | 28640466 |
| OpenAlex | W1977921126 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 33 |
Parents commonly experience a depressed mood in the immediate postpartum period, and a smaller proportion experience clinical postpartum depression. Among other factors, mental representations of early parenting experience appear to contribute to the development of major depressive disorder. The present study examines the role of mental representations of early parenting in subclinical fluctuations of parental mood in the peripartum period. Forty‐one middle‐class mothers and thirty‐six fathers were interviewed on three occasions from late in their pregnancy until three months postpartum. Ratings of social support and past history of depression were obtained along with ratings of parents' perceptions of their early parenting experiences. Parents' perception of their own maternal care was significantly predictive of peripartum fluctuations in mood. Parents who perceived their own mothers as less caring showed more dysphoria at 8 months gestation, and at 2 weeks and 3 months postpartum. Perceptions of maternal protectiveness or fathers' caring and protectiveness were not related to prenatal or postpartum mood fluctuations. Both mothers and fathers who perceived their mothers as affectionless and/or controlling were more likely to experience fluctuations in mood in the peripartum period. A past history of one or more episodes of major depression and ratings of perceived social support were also associated with more peripartum mood fluctuation. These findings suggest that early parenting experiences set the threshold for how vulnerable parents are in the peripartum period to the depressive costs of engaging with a new infant
Anxiety · Depressed mood · Depressive symptoms · Developmental psychology · Dysphoria · Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale · Mental health · Mood · Postpartum depression · Postpartum period · Pregnancy · Psychiatry · Subclinical infection · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology
Parental representations and depression in normal young adults.
Associations among Attachment Classifications of Mothers, Fathers, and Their Infants
Rates and risk of postpartum depression—a meta-analysis
The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID)
Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory
The depressed mother and her one-year-old infant
Parental death during childhood and adult depression
Pregnancy problems, postpartum depression, and early mother–infant interactions
A Parental Bonding Instrument
Postpartum affect and depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers
| Citations per year | 0.19 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2010 - 2024 (15) |
| Highly cited | No |