Longitudinal Study Of Mothers Research Articles

Parenting Stress Following a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Hospitalization: A Longitudinal Study of Mothers and Fathers.

A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization can add significant stress to the postpartum period. Parents experience isolation and uncertainty, which can affect their capacity to bond with their new baby. Understanding how stress is shaped by and changes following a NICU experience will help in developing supports for these families. We examined patterns of parenting stress over the first year of life following a NICU stay to better understand changes in stress, differences in maternal and paternal stress, and how medical and developmental variables impact parent stress. Parents of infants (n = 51) who had experienced a NICU hospitalization and met criteria for California's High-Risk Infant Follow-Up program completed assessments at 6, 9, and 12 months. A comparison group (n = 38) from a historic dataset included parents of infants born full term without medical complications. NICU parents reported higher levels of parenting stress at 6 months, but not 12 months, with mothers and fathers reporting similar stress levels. Parenting-related stress was found to be relatively stable and consistent over this period. Among NICU parents, lower developmental level at 12 months was associated with more distress in interacting with their child. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring parenting stress following discharge from the NICU and developing interventions for supporting parents of NICU graduates showing developmental delays.

Moe Kura: a longitudinal study of mother and child sleep and well-being in Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT Moe Kura is a longitudinal study focused on the role of sleep in the health and well-being of mothers and children in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). The leadership, design and conduct of the study is informed by Kaupapa Māori research principles and is positioned within a broader rights-based approach to health, recognising that inequities in health must be identified and understood to improve the health of wāhine Māori and tamariki. In late pregnancy 418 Māori women and 768 non-Māori women were recruited and data collected at four waves (35–37 weeks gestation, 4–6 weeks postpartum, 11–13 weeks postpartum and when the Moe Kura child was 3–4 years of age) with linkage to birth records and national administrative datasets and associated qualitative research. Findings demonstrate substantial inequities in sleep health, infant and maternal health, and maternal employment between Māori and non-Māori, along with the important role of sleep in perinatal health and maternal mental health outcomes. The research philosophy that underpins the study, the primary focus on women, and the detailed measurement of sleep during the childbearing years has provided new and important findings that contribute to intervention development and health policy for women and children in NZ.

A Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Parental Mental Health and Handheld Devices on Child Outcomes

Children have been thrust into a “portable age” where handheld devices, such as smartphones, tablets or iPads, have become a part of the daily norm. Parental factors and early life experiences, such as engaging in screen devices, have been widely established as major influences on children’s outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the mental health of parents, parental and child screen time (ST), and child outcomes. A longitudinal study of mothers and fathers (<I>N = </I>214) were recruited at two time points (T1, April 2019-February 2020; T2, September 2020-February 2021). Due to loss to follow-up, the final sample consisted of 101 participants (97 mothers, 4 fathers) with a mean age of 37.55 (<I>SD</I> = 4.14). Children of participants had a mean age of T1 = 5.25 (<I>SD </I>= .44) and T2=6.51 (<I>SD </I>= .52). Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires regarding their own mental health, their child’s and their own engagement with handheld devices, as well as their child’s internalising and externalising behaviour. The study demonstrated that parental anxiety significantly predicted child internalising symptoms, whereas both parental anxiety and depression significantly predicted child externalising symptoms, across time. These findings suggest that after controlling for ST, parental mental health is predictive of temporal child outcomes. Future studies should consider early intervention programs that target parents with mental health concerns, examining children who engage in excessive ST, and consider context and content of ST amongst these trends.

A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Mother–Child Attachment and Externalizing Trajectories in Boys and Girls

In clinically referred children, boys and those with disorganized mother-child attachments tend to show the most maladaptive externalizing trajectories; however, additional research is necessary to test whether these findings hold in a community sample. Therefore, 235 community children (106 boys) were followed from ages 6 to 15years across six time points. Multiple-group linear growth curves with mother-child attachment as a time-invariant covariate were fit to the data to explore externalizing trajectories for boys and girls. Results showed that boys had higher initial externalizing levels than girls, and children generally experienced a decline in symptoms over time. No significant trajectory differences were found for girls, and boys with different attachment classifications did not differ on their initial externalizing levels; however, boys with avoidant attachments (with resistant attachments trending) experienced a steeper decline in externalizing symptoms longitudinally. Implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.

Macronutrient composition in human milk from mothers of preterm and term neonates is highly variable during the lactation period

ObjectiveTo investigate the macronutrient content of human milk during the first 28 days of lactation of mothers who delivered preterm infants, and to compare preterm to term milk. MethodsA prospective and longitudinal study of mothers at various stages of lactation was conducted in the Amiens-Picardie University Hospital (France). Fat, true protein, carbohydrate and energy contents were estimated in human milk collected from each participant. ResultsMacronutrients in human milk were: fat (g/100 mL), 3.36±1.01; true protein ( g/100 mL), 1.34±0.61; carbohydrate ( g/100 mL), 7.23±0.68; energy (kcal/100 mL), 72.97±9.21 for extremely preterm human milk; fat (g/100 mL), 3.47±1.14; true protein (g/100 mL) 1.32±0.63; carbohydrate g/100 mL), 7.28±1.10; energy (kcal/100 mL), 76.18±12.84 for very preterm human milk; fat (g/100 mL), 3.48±0.87; true protein (g/100 mL), 1.26±0.46; carbohydrate (g/100 mL), 7.36±0.47; energy (kcal/100 mL), 76.47±8.21 for moderate preterm human milk; fat (g/mL), 3.48±1.57; true protein (g/100 mL), 1.23±1.03; carbohydrate (g/100 mL), 7.36±0.63; energy (kcal/100 mL), 76.56±13.57 for term human milk. ConclusionMarked variations in macronutrient contents were observed between preterm and term human milk. The macronutrient score of extremely and moderate preterm human milk versus term human milk was significant, p=0.0001.

Postpartum Maternal Health at a Time of Rapid Societal Change in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Background. Abu Dhabi has undergone a rapid transition from a subsistence economy to a wealthy modern state over the last 50 years. This paper presents an insight into the health status of Emirati mothers during this transition through a prospective longitudinal study of mothers who gave birth in a government maternity hospital in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.Methods. 125 women were interviewed within the first week after birth, as part of a larger study encompassing a wide range of cultural, social, and behavioural aspects of health. They were then re-interviewed at three, six and 15 months postpartum. A food frequency questionnaire was also administered to the mothers at birth. Data were analysed using univariate statistics.Results. Over 70% of the mothers had BMI in the overweight and obese categories, and approximately half of the women were dissatisfied with their weight. Contributing factors were likely to be diets high in fats and sugar, low levels of exercise and women’s limited involvement in household food purchasing and preparation. Iron deficiency anaemia, diabetes, asthma and fertility problems were found to be the most common concerns amongst the participants prior to conception. Anaemia rates were high during pregnancy, with 35% having haemoglobin &lt; 11 g/dL, and were positively associated with parity. Belief in traditional and herbal medicines was strong, with 43% of women using a variety of remedies during pregnancy.Conclusions. Policies and support mechanisms to encourage women to make better dietary choices and to provide more opportunities for exercising are required to improve the health of mothers in the UAE. The development of good quality health care has resulted in the better maternal health outcomes, although traditional practices in relation to herbal medicines are still common.

Changes in mothers' intended duration of breastfeeding from the prenatal to neonatal periods.

Although previous studies suggest that the intentions of mothers to breastfeed during pregnancy strongly predict actual breastfeeding practice, no studies have examined the changes in the intentions of mothers to breastfeed from the prenatal to neonatal periods. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in intended breastfeeding duration from the prenatal to neonatal periods, their association with actual duration, and predictors for shortened duration. The Infant Feeding Practices Study II was a longitudinal study of mothers in the United States. Changes to intended breastfeeding duration were calculated as the difference from prenatal to neonatal reports (months); we compared this change to actual breastfeeding duration. By using multivariable logistic regression, we identified maternal characteristics associated with a shortened breastfeeding intention. Of 1780 women, 43.7% had no change to intended breastfeeding duration, 35.0% had a shorter intended duration, and 21.3% had a longer intended duration. Mothers with shortened intended duration also had shorter actual duration (P<.001). Women of Hispanic ethnicity, with a prepregnancy body mass index of ≥30kg/m2 , who were primiparous and who smoked prenatally had increased odds of shortening their breastfeeding intention from prenatal to neonatal reports. A maternal age of ≥35years was associated with decreased odds of shortened breastfeeding intention. Approximately one in three women shorten their intended breastfeeding duration during the early postpartum period, which negatively affects the actual duration of their breastfeeding. Women may need additional support during the early postpartum period to meet their prenatal breastfeeding intentions.

Racial discrimination and perinatal sleep quality

ObjectiveThis research examined the association between perceived everyday racial discrimination, as a psychosocial stressor, and perinatal sleep quality. DesignCross-sectional (N=640) and longitudinal associations (N=133) between everyday experiences of discrimination and sleep quality were examined using a pregnancy and postpartum data registry. ParticipantsWe studied a sample of 640 unique women from the Perinatal Research Repository (PRR), a longitudinal study of mothers, fathers, and babies recruited from Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. MeasurementsDiscrimination and sleep quality were assessed using the Experiences of Discrimination Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. ResultsOverall, everyday discrimination was associated with poorer global sleep quality and all but three sleep sub-measures of the PSQI cross-sectionally, but not longitudinally. When stratified, the adverse effects of everyday discrimination varied by race and perinatal time period. Increases in everyday discrimination were independently associated with poorer sleep initiation, poorer sleep maintenance and poorer daytime dysfunction. ConclusionsFindings suggest that the immediate stressors of everyday racial discrimination were independently associated with poorer sleep quality among pregnant women cross-sectionally. Poorer sleep quality has been associated with numerous adverse perinatal outcomes and this association may be important in understanding racial discrimination as a risk factor. Our failure to identify a longitudinal association makes the direction of causation uncertain, however. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to clarify the association, given the potential importance of poor sleep quality in the pathogenesis of pregnancy complications.

Family Social Support Modifies the Relationships Between Childhood Maltreatment Severity, Economic Adversity and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms.

This study examines the main and moderating effects of childhood abuse or neglect severity, income, and family social support on the presence of postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS). Participants included 183 postpartum mothers who endorsed a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) and enrolled in a longitudinal study of mother and child outcomes. Participants completed questionnaires to assess CM severity, associated societal and maternal characteristics, and depressive symptom severity. The results confirm previously identified links between CM severity and PDS. Further, hierarchical linear regression analyses indicate the interaction of household income and interpersonal support from the family attenuates the relationship between CM severity and PDS. The final model accounted for 29% of the variance of PDS scores, a large effect size. This study is the first to demonstrate interrelationships between income and social support on resilience to postpartum psychopathology in childhood trauma-surviving women. Social support appeared to protect against PDS for all mothers in this study while income only conferred a protective effect when accompanied by family support. For clinicians, this implies the need to focus on improving family and other relationships, especially for at-risk mothers.

Moving Beyond Fatherhood Involvement: The Association Between Father–Child Relationship Quality and Youth Delinquency Trajectories

The effect of nonresidential father relationship characteristics on delinquency trajectories among low‐income youth (N = 799) was examined using data from the Three Cities Study, a longitudinal study of mothers and their children eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio. Growth curve models were employed to track delinquency trajectories and their rate of growth. Characteristics of father–child relationships (anger–alienation, trust–communication) were specified as predictors of delinquency while controlling for father involvement and family structure. Trust–communication influenced delinquency growth, but the rate of growth slowed as youth aged. Implications for programs, interventions, and policy are explored.

Duration of sleep at 3 years of age is associated with fat and fat‐free mass at 4 years of age: the Southampton Women's Survey

Many studies have shown that shorter sleep duration in childhood is associated with higher body mass index (BMI), and have proposed that it is due to an effect of sleep on adiposity. There is little evidence about the association of sleep with fat-free mass. This study examined the association between child's sleep duration at age 3years and fat and fat-free mass at 4years of age in a prospective cohort study of 302 boys and 285 girls. Study participants were taking part in the Southampton Women's Survey, a longitudinal study of mothers and children from preconception onwards. Total sleep duration at age 3years was derived from parental report of night sleep and nap duration. Body composition was assessed by Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) at 4years. Mean total sleep duration was 11.5hours. In linear regression analyses, adjusted for potentially confounding factors (maternal educational attainment, prepregnancy BMI, smoking during pregnancy, child's gestational age at birth, age at DXA, sex, age last breastfed, dietary quality at 3years, TV watching and hours actively on the move and parental social class), shorter sleep in hours was associated with higher BMI (kg/m(2) ) [β: -0.2340, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.373 to -0.096], a greater fat mass index (kg) (β: -0.1182, 95% CI: -0.218 to-0.018) and a greater fat-free mass index (kg) (β: -0.100, 95% CI: -0.185 to -0.015). Previous research suggested that the association between shorter sleep and higher body mass index is due to an effect on adiposity. Our findings are novel, suggesting that the relationship between sleep and BMI is also determined by an effect on muscle.

Prenatal attitudes and parity predict selection into a U.S. child health program: A short report

Public policies are a determinant of child health disparities; sound evaluation of these programs is essential for good governance. It is impossible in most countries to randomize assignment into child health programs that directly offer benefits. In the absence of this, researchers face the threat of selection bias—the idea that there are innate, immeasurable differences between those who take-up treatment and those who don't. In the field of Program Evaluation we are most concerned with the differences between the eligible people who take-up a program and the eligible people who choose not to enroll. Using a case study of a large U.S. nutrition program, this report illustrates how the perceived benefits of participation may affect the decision to take-up a program. In turn, this highlights sources of potential selection bias. Using data from a longitudinal study of mothers and infants conducted between May and December of 2005, I show that attitudes and beliefs prenatally toward breastfeeding determine enrollment in a U.S nutrition program that offers free Infant Formula. I also find that the significance of the selection bias differs by parity. Analysis reveals that maternal attitudinal responses are more highly predictive of future behavior, compared to standard demographic variables. In sum, this paper makes a case for rigorously understanding the factors that determine take-up of a program and how those factors can modify the results of a program evaluation.

Antisocial behaviour across the life course: An examination of the effects of early onset desistence and early onset persistent antisocial behaviour in adulthood

There is evidence to show that individuals who have persistent behaviour problems over time have the worst outcomes across a range of domains. However, the adult outcomes of those who have high levels of behavioural problems in childhood but desist by adolescence remain relatively under‐investigated. This article examines different patterns of antisocial behaviour over the life course using the Australian Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a prospective longitudinal study of mothers and their children up to age 21. Antisocial behaviour is measured using the Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist at ages 5 and 14. Young adult outcomes (age 21) of health problems, educational attainment, employment, marriage, discomfort with relationships, and anxiety and depression are examined. Multinomial logistic regression analyses show that those individuals who no longer showed high levels of antisocial behaviour in adolescence continued to have problems across several outcomes. However, the worst outcomes were observed for those individuals with persistent behaviour problems in childhood and adolescence. Overall, the evidence supports the importance of programmes which aim to not only prevent the onset of early childhood antisocial behaviour, but to also draw attention to the need to address antisocial behaviour that emerges during adolescence.

The mother–child playgroup as socialisation context: a short‐term longitudinal study of mother–child–peer relationship dynamics

This study employed mother–child playgroups as a context for examining mothers’ supervision of child–peer interactions and children’s adaptation to a new peer‐group setting. Six playgroups, consisting of quartets of mothers and their 24‐ to 54‐month‐old children (n = 23), were observed in ten 90‐minute sessions. All mothers attended the first two days of playgroup; only two mothers were present on each of the remaining days, rotating supervision responsibilities. Ratings were made of mothers’ behaviour toward their own and others’ children and children’s behaviour toward the mothers and peers. Children were oriented mainly toward their own mothers on the first two days of playgroup, but became increasingly involved in cooperative and parallel play with peers over time. Children were more likely to be involved in peer‐oriented play when their own mothers were present, and children of mothers who were judged to be more skilful supervisors were less likely to engage in solitary play. These findings converge with other evidence in supporting the usefulness of playgroup experiences for scaffolding children’s early peer interactions and for facilitating children’s transition between home and more formal educational settings such as preschools and daycare.

Financial self‐sufficiency or return to welfare? A longitudinal study of mothers among the working poor

Cheng T. Financial self‐sufficiency or return to welfare? A longitudinal study of mothers among the working poorInt J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 162–172 © 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare.This study investigated how working‐poor mothers who withdrew from a US government assistance program were affected by the economy, welfare reform policies, and their own human capital, in terms of their likelihood of returning to welfare and their likelihood of becoming nonpoor through work. The study employed longitudinal data (covering 42 months) extracted from a national data set. The sample for the current study, which relied on event history analysis, consisted of 228 working‐poor former welfare mothers. Results showed that the women's return to welfare was correlated to high unemployment, restrictive welfare policies, enrollment in Medicaid and food‐stamp programs, possession of service‐job skills, and being Hispanic. The women were most likely to attain relative financial independence in the presence of generous government assistance program policies, housing assistance, full‐time employment, operative‐job skills, college education, and marriage. African American ethnicity also made achievement of financial independence more likely.

Sources of Supplemental Iron Among Breastfed Infants During the First Year of Life

Primary prevention of iron deficiency requires adequate iron intake. Although recommendations exist to promote adequate intake of iron among infants through iron-rich foods and iron supplements, few studies have examined adherence to these recommendations. Our objectives were to describe the consumption of iron-rich foods, oral iron supplements, and iron-fortified formula among US infants and to assess adherence to iron-intake recommendations. We analyzed data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, a longitudinal study of mothers and infants followed from late pregnancy through the first year of their infant's life. Mothers completed near-monthly questionnaires that assessed how frequently they fed their infants breast milk, formula, infant cereals, and meats in the previous 7 days and whether their infants were given an oral iron supplement > or = 3 times per week during the previous 2 weeks. We examined use of iron-fortified formula among infants who consumed formula; intake of cereal, meat, oral iron supplements, and formula among infants consuming any breast milk; and whether 6-month-old breastfed and mixed-fed (breast milk and formula) infants consumed sources of supplemental iron with recommended frequency. At 6 months of age, 18% of the term breastfed and mixed-fed infants had not received infant cereal or meat in the previous 7 days, and 15% had not received infant cereal, meat, regular iron supplements, or formula; among solely breastfed infants, 23% had not received infant cereal, meat, or regular iron supplements. Fifty-eight percent of the mixed-fed infants and 70% of the solely breastfed infants received < 2 daily servings of infant cereal, meat, or formula combined and did not receive oral iron supplements > or = 3 times per week. Among preterm breastfed and mixed-fed infants, none received oral iron supplements > or = 3 times per week before 3 months of age, 2% received them at 3 months, and 13% received them at 10.5 months. Our findings indicate that recommendations regarding iron intake among breastfed infants are not being followed by a substantial proportion of mothers.

Maternal Attitudes in Pregnancy Predict Drinking Initiation in Adolescence

The aim of the present study was to examine whether maternal attitudes to pregnancy and infant caregiving predict drinking initiation in adolescence. Data were used from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy, an Australian longitudinal study of mothers and their children from pregnancy to when the children were 14 years. Logistic regression analyses examined whether maternal attitudes to pregnancy and infant caregiving at birth and 6 months contributed to the prediction of drinking initiation at age 14, after controlling for a range of confounding covariates. Mother's negative feelings about being pregnant and not planning/wanting the pregnancy predicted adolescent alcohol initiation at the 14 year follow up. Negative maternal attitudes to infant caregiving at birth and 6 months did not predict adolescent alcohol initiation. Maternal attitudes in pregnancy are important and there is a need for effective perinatal interventions.

Relationship between Maternal Clinical Factors and Mother-Reported Child Problems

Maternal depression has been associated with mothers' elevated reports of child problems. However, it is unclear the extent to which elevations in mother ratings reflect having a depression diagnosis, having any mental illness diagnosis, or having a diagnosis vs. symptom levels. As part of a NIMH-funded, longitudinal study of mothers with serious mental illness (N=379), we examined the relationship between mother-reported adolescent behavior problems (N=78) and maternal depression vs. other diagnoses, as well as the effects of depression diagnosis vs. symptom levels. Mothers were recruited from the public mental health system in an urban area, and are primarily African-American and low income. We found that maternal psychiatric symptoms made a unique and significant contribution to explaining the variance in mother-reported child problems, independent of controls (e.g., teacher reports and child demographics), while maternal diagnosis did not. Implications of findings are discussed.

The Mental Health of Filipino-Born Women 5 and 14 Years after they have given Birth in Australia: A Longitudinal Study

It has been suggested that ‘Filipino brides’ may be ‘at risk’ of social isolation and mental health impairment after migrating to Australia to marry Australian men. This paper examines the mental health of a cohort of Filipino and Australian-born women who became mothers in Australia, and investigates the relationship between place of birth, social network size and symptoms of poor mental health. The data was taken from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a longitudinal study of mothers and children instigated in 1981. Symptoms of anxiety and depression and social network size were assessed at their first clinic visit (FCV), and followed up at 5 and 14 years. Filipino-born mothers had smaller social networks at the birth of their child, and reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression at FCV and 5 years follow-up (F/U), but did not differ from their Australian counterparts 14 years later. We conclude that Filipino-born migrants experience greater distress and poorer social networks than Australian-born mothers in the early years after they have given birth to a child in Australia. Further, that over a period of time, the decrease in mental health symptoms indicates the adaptation of Filipino-born women to their new environment.

Anticipatory Accounts

C. Wright Mills called for a truly sociological analysis of actors' “motive talk,” which decouples the commonsense link between the reasons actors give for their actions and their mental state prior to those actions. Subsequent theoretical and empirical work has focused almost entirely on actors' retrospective accounting for untoward conduct that has already taken place. The other aspect of Mills's program, the reasons actors give for potentially untoward future conduct and in particular the empirical investigation of the link between the availability of an acceptable vocabulary of motives for anticipated conduct and the eventual enactment of that conduct, has been largely ignored. This article seeks to rehabilitate these lost dimensions using data from a longitudinal study of mothers' infant feeding choices and practices. It examines how mothers account, in advance, for the possibility that they may eventually feed their babies in ways they consider suboptimal. Thirty of the thirty‐six women interviewed indicated that they intended to breastfeed, emphasizing the benefits of this practice to their babies. However, seventeen of these women also anticipated that they might abandon breastfeeding and presented elaborate accounts of the motives that could lead them to do so. The findings support Mills's claim that the availability of an acceptable vocabulary of motives for untoward conduct increases the probability that one will engage in such conduct. Mothers who had offered elaborate anticipatory accounts for abandoning breastfeeding were much more likely to do so than those who did not.