Abstract
Little is known about the relation between levels of restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) in infants and parent factors. The present study investigated maternal and psychosocial factors (depressive symptoms, socio-economic status, social support) and mother-infant engagement factors (mind-mindedness, sensitivity, and infant-mother attachment security) as predictors of children's RRB at age 26months in a sample of 206 mothers and children. Maternal depressive symptoms predicted levels of sensory and motor repetitive behavior and rigid, routinized, and ritualistic repetitive behavior. Lower socioeconomic status also predicted independent variance in children's sensory and motor repetitive behavior. The relations between maternal depressive symptoms and both types of RRB were not mediated through observational measures of maternal sensitivity or mind-mindedness at 8months, or attachment security at 15months. The results are discussed in terms of whether stress regulation, self-stimulation, and genetic susceptibility can help explain the observed link between maternal depressive symptoms and RRB in the child.
Highlights
Little is known about the relation between levels of restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) in infants and parent factors
Using the same sample of children as Larkin et al (2017), the present study investigated whether maternal depressive symptoms in the first year of the child’s life predicted RRB in 2-year-olds, and whether this relation was mediated through infant– mother interaction
Incomplete or partial completion of certain measures meant that data were available for the following participants: 203 children completed the Preschool Language Scale; 199 mothers completed the BDI at Phase 1 and 198 at Phase 2; 194 mothers completed the perceived social support measure; 192 mothers completed the Repetitive Behaviour Questionnaire-2 (RBQ-2) at Phase 3
Summary
Little is known about the relation between levels of restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) in infants and parent factors. Elevated levels of RRBs can become entrenched in preschoolers with and without intellectual disability or pervasive developmental disorders, affecting children’s ability to learn, and having detrimental effects on children and their caregivers (Berkson & Tupa, 2000; Berry, Russell, & Frost, 2018; Harris, Mahone, & Singer, 2008) Many of these extreme RRBs are thought to develop from initially adaptive RRB across the first two years of life (Leekam et al, 2011); understanding early predisposing factors for elevated or enduring patterns of RRB may support the provision of early intervention to prevent these behaviors becoming entrenched (Berkson & Tupa, 2000). No study has yet examined the associations between measures of maternal depression or symptoms of depression and RRB in typical infant development, they may be inter-related
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