Symptoms In Mothers Research Articles

Changes in maternal depression are associated with MST outcomes for adolescents with co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems

The efficacy of Multisystemic therapy (MST) in treating adolescent aggression has been established, however, not all youth and their families benefit from MST. One reason for this treatment variability could be the failure to distinguish between different aggressive subtypes with different risk factors, developmental prognoses and treatment needs. We investigated whether changes in maternal depression over MST would lead to different outcomes for two aggressive subtypes: pure externalizers (EXT) and mixed externalizers/internalizers (MIXED). Forty-two EXT and 27 MIXED youth and their families underwent MST for six months. Maternal depression, youth externalizing and internalizing behaviour were assessed before and after MST. Results showed a marginally greater change in externalizing for EXT youth. In addition, reductions in maternal depression were related to successful treatment outcomes for MIXED youth only. Our findings have implications for MST clinicians, namely the importance of reducing depressive symptoms in mothers of MIXED youth to improve their outcomes.

Associations between maternal older age, family environment and parent and child wellbeing in families using assisted reproductive techniques to conceive.

Maternal age effects on parenting and family outcomes are of increasing interest because of the demographic shift toward older maternal age at first birth. Maternal age is also of interest because of the greater use of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) to bypass age-related infertility in couples trying to conceive late in the reproductive life cycle of the woman. The aim of the present study was to investigate maternal age effects associated with delayed parenting by comparing families of mothers who gave birth at a younger (<31 years) or older (>38 years) age and to ascertain whether associations were linear associations by comparing these groups to women who had conceived in between these ages (i.e., >31 and <38 years). All children (4–11 year olds) were first-born and conceived using ART. Participants were recruited from one of 20 fertility clinics and mothers (n = 642) and fathers (n = 439) completed a postal questionnaire about demographic and reproductive characteristics, family environment as well as parent and child wellbeing. Our results demonstrate that parenthood via assisted conception later in the reproductive life cycle is not associated with a negative impact on child wellbeing. Despite maternal age-group differences on demographic (education, income) and reproductive characteristics (bleeding during pregnancy, caesarean rate, breast feeding), and parental warmth and depressive symptoms, child wellbeing was similar across mother age groups. We conclude that the parenting context is different for older mother families (more depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers, less expressed warmth in the couple) but that this difference is not associated with child wellbeing in early and middle childhood.

Anxiety, Dysphoria, and Depression Symptoms in Mothers of Preterm Infants

To compare presence and severity of clinical symptoms of anxiety, dysphoria, and depression in mothers of preterm and of full-term infants and to observe changes in symptoms of mothers of preterm infants during hospitalization of the infants and after discharge, 50 mothers of preterm infants and 25 mothers of full-term infants completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory. The mothers with preterm infants had significantly higher clinical symptoms of State Anxiety during hospitalization than the group with full-term infants, but the clinical symptoms of anxiety in mothers of preterm infants decreased significantly after discharge. The health staff in a neonatal intensive care unit should not only be aware of infants' clinical status but also of the mothers' emotional state.

Post-traumatic stress symptoms in mothers of very low birth weight infants 2–3 years post-partum

We examined symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in mothers of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants 2-3 years post-partum, compared with mothers of term, normal weight infants. Mothers were asked to report current symptoms relating specifically to the birth of their infant using The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Mothers of VLBW infants recorded significantly higher levels of PTSD symptoms overall (median scores: VLBW 25 [range 2-82], versus controls: 0 [range 0-5], P < 0.001), and in all sub-categories (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that mothers of VLBW infants have a relatively high prevalence of symptoms of PTSD at 2-3 years postnatal.

Changes in depressive symptoms in first time mothers in home visitation

Objective The expansion of Home Visitation Programs for at-risk, first-time mothers and their young children has drawn attention to the potential impact of depression on program outcomes, yet little research has examined depression in the context of home visitation. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of and changes in depressive symptoms in mothers enrolled in home visitation and identify predictors of change in symptoms over the first 9 months of service. Methods Subjects consisted of 806 at-risk, first-time mothers enrolled in a Home Visitation Program. Self-reported depression was measured at enrollment and again 9 months later. Established clinical cutoffs were used to identify clinically elevated levels of depression. Additional measures were taken of interpersonal trauma history, concurrent intimate partner violence, and social support. Results Results indicated that: (1) 45.3% of mothers had clinically elevated symptoms of depression at some point during the first 9 months of service, (2) 25.9% of mothers had elevated symptoms at both time points or at the 9-month assessment, and (3) 74.1% experienced an interpersonal trauma prior to enrollment. Lack of improvement or worsening of depressive symptoms from enrollment to 9 months was best predicted by pre-enrollment interpersonal trauma history, young maternal age, being African American, and symptoms severe enough to have led to mental health treatment. Conclusions Findings suggest that maternal depressive symptoms are a significant problem in home visitation. The role of interpersonal trauma in depressive symptoms, and how to best address these clinical issues in home visitation, warrants further examination. Practice implications Maternal depression is prevalent in Home Visitation Programs, and many mothers exhibit elevated symptoms at multiple time points over the first year of service. Interpersonal trauma history is also prevalent, and is predictive of increased depressive symptoms over time. Home Visitation Programs should note that mothers with interpersonal trauma history, young maternal age, and being African American have an increased likelihood of persistent depressive symptoms, which may in turn pose significant challenges to providing services.

The Mediating Effects of Mother-Child Relation on the Relationships between Psychological Symptoms of Mothers with Mental Disorders and their Child's Resilience

The Mediating Effects of Mother-Child Relation on the Relationships between Psychological Symptoms of Mothers with Mental Disorders and their Child's Resilience

Depressive symptoms in mothers and children: Preschool attachment as a moderator of risk.

Drawing from transactional models, the authors examined whether attachment security measured at age 3 (a potential source of differential vulnerability) interacts with the course of maternal depressive symptoms over an 8-year period (a potential source of differential exposure) in predicting children's self-reported depressive symptoms at age 11. Participants were from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (N = 938). Results from growth curve modeling and analysis of covariance suggest that preschool attachment quality moderates the influence of subsequent maternal depression on children. In particular, variability in the course of maternal depressive symptoms predicted offspring depressive symptoms only among those children with an insecure attachment history. A potential protective effect of early attachment security was evident among children exposed to the most chronic levels of maternal depression. Of the children with different patterns of insecure attachments, those with behaviors classified as disorganized appeared most vulnerable to also becoming depressed if paired with a mother experiencing ongoing depressive symptoms.

Effects of Mastery on Postnatal Depressive Symptoms in Mothers : The Relationship between Coping and Mastery

Effects of Mastery on Postnatal Depressive Symptoms in Mothers : The Relationship between Coping and Mastery

Maternal Anxiety and Depression and Development of Prematurely Born Infants in the First Year of Life

The purpose of this study was: (a) to assess and to compare anxiety and depression symptoms in mothers of preterm neonates during hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, after discharge, and at the end of the infants' first year of life; and (b) to assess the child's development at 12 months of chronological corrected age (CCA). Thirty-six mothers, with no psychiatric antecedents assessed with the SCID-NP, were evaluated by STAI and BDI. The infants were assessed with Bayley-II Scales. There was a significant decrease in clinical symptoms of state-anxiety in mothers (p = .008), comparing the period during hospitalization and after discharge of the infants. Clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression were observed in 20% of the mothers at the end of the infants' first year of age. The majority of the infants exhibited normal development on Bayley-II at 12 months CCA; however, 25% of the infants displayed cognitive problems and 40% motor problems. The mothers' anxiety and depression symptoms decreased at the end of the first year of life of the pre-term infants and the children showed predominately normal development at this phase.

Peer support telephone calls for improving health

Peer support telephone calls have been used for a wide range of health-related concerns. However, little is known about their effects. To assess the effects of peer support telephone calls in terms of physical (e.g. blood pressure), psychological (e.g. depressive symptoms), and behavioural health outcomes (e.g. uptake of mammography) and other outcomes. We searched: The Cochrane Library databases (CENTRAL, DARE, CDSR) (issue 4 2007); MEDLINE (OVID) (January 1966 to December 2007); EMBASE (OVID) (January 1985 to December 2007); CINAHL (Athens) (January 1966 to December 2007), trials registers and reference lists of articles, with no language restrictions. Randomised controlled trials of peer support interventions delivered by telephone call. Two review authors independently extracted data. We present results narratively and in tabular format. Meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity between studies. We included seven studies involving 2492 participants.Peer support telephone calls were associated with an increase in mammography screening, with 49% of women in the intervention group and 34% of women in the control group receiving a mammogram since the start of the intervention (P </ = 0.001). In another study, peer telephone support calls were found to maintain mammography screening uptake for baseline adherent women (P = 0.029).Peer support telephone calls for post myocardial infarction patients were associated at six months with a change in diet in the intervention and usual care groups of 54% and 44% respectively (P = 0.03). In another study for post myocardial infarction patients there were no significant differences between groups for self-efficacy, health status and mental health outcomes.Peer support telephone calls were associated with greater continuation of breastfeeding in mothers at 3 months post partum (P = 0.01).Peer support telephone calls were associated with reduced depressive symptoms in mothers with postnatal depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) > 12). The peer support intervention significantly decreased depressive symptomatology at the 4-week assessment (odds ratio (OR) 6.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15 to 33.77; P = 0.02)) and 8-week assessment (OR 6.23 (95% CI 1.40 to 27.84; P = 0.01). One study investigated the use of peer support for patients with poorly controlled diabetes. There were no significant differences between groups for self-efficacy, HbA1C, cholesterol level and body mass index. Whilst this review provides some evidence that peer support telephone calls can be effective for certain health-related concerns, few of the studies were of high quality and so results should be interpreted cautiously. There were many methodological limitations thus limiting the generalisability of findings. Overall, there is a need for further well designed randomised controlled studies to clarify the cost and clinical effectiveness of peer support telephone calls for improvement in health and health-related behaviour.

Lebererkrankungen in der Schwangerschaft

Abnormal liver function tests occur in 3 - 5% of pregnancies for different reasons. Apart from pre-existing liver diseases liver diseases occurring during pregnancy, such as gall stones or viral hepatitis, most liver dysfunctions in pregnancy are caused by one of the five pregnancy-related liver diseases. The five known pregnancy-related liver diseases can be classified in two main categories depending on their association with or without preeclampsia. The preeclampsia-associated liver diseases are the preeclampsia itself, the HELLP-syndrome ("Hemolysis" (H), "Elevated Liver Tests" (EL), "Low Platelet Count" (LP)) and the acute fatty liver of pregnancy. Hyperemesis gravidarum and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy are not associated with preeclampsia. Hyperemesis gravidarum is characterised by intractable vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy. 50% of patients with this condition have liver dysfunction. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy presents with pruritus and elevated bile acids in the second half of pregnancy. Patients have often mild jaundice and highly elevated liver enzymes. Treatment of choice is ursodeoxycholic acid to relieve the mother's symptoms. With this condition mainly the fetus is at risk. Severe preeclampsia is the most common cause of liver dysfunction in pregnancy, and is in some cases further complicated by HELLP syndrome. The prompt delivery of the baby is the only definitive therapy. However, many life-threatening maternal complications like liver hematoma or rupture and abruptio placentae can occur. Acute fatty liver of pregnancy is also a severe illness occuring mostly in the third trimester; microvesicular fat deposition in the liver can cause liver failure with coagulopathy and encephalopathy. Only the immediate delivery of the fetus can save mother and child.

Insomniac children maternal sleep and mood in São Paulo and Barcelona

To evaluate sleep characteristics verifying for the presence of depressive symptoms in mothers of insomniac children living in São Paulo (Brazil) and Barcelona (Spain). Forty-six mothers were evaluated, 37 from São Paulo and nine from Barcelona, their ages varying from 19 to 44, and their children; otherwise healthy but with complaints of insomnia, their age varying from three to 33 months. The mothers' sleep quality was rated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). 91.30% of mothers reported poor sleep by PSQI standards. Regarding signs and symptoms of depression, 69.56% of all mothers in this sample showed them. Direct correlation between São Paulo mothers PSQI and BDI was found and also between the child's age and BDI. The mothers' poor sleep was related to mood changes with symptoms of depression presenting similar results in both cities.

Parent and adolescent depressive symptoms: the role of parental attributions.

This study examined whether negative parental attributions for adolescent behaviour mediate the association between parental and adolescent depressive symptoms, and whether this relationship is moderated by adolescent gender. Mothers and fathers and 124 adolescents (76 girls and 48 boys; ages 14 to 18) participated. Adolescents were primarily Caucasian, and varied in the level of depressive symptoms (with 27% of the sample meeting diagnostic criteria for a current unipolar depressive disorder). Parents and adolescents completed measures of depressive symptoms, and participated in a videotaped problem-solving discussion. After the discussion, each parent watched the videotape and, at 20 s intervals, offered attributions for their adolescent's behaviour. Adolescent gender moderated the relation between parental attributions and adolescent depressive symptoms, with stronger associations for female adolescents. For both mothers and fathers, both parental depressive symptoms and negative attributions about the adolescent's behaviour made unique contributions to the prediction of depressive symptoms in adolescent females. There also was evidence that negative attributions partially mediated the link between depressive symptoms in mothers and adolescent daughters. The results are interpreted as consistent with parenting as a partial mediator between parental and adolescent depressive symptoms, and suggest that adolescent girls may be particularly sensitive to parents' negative interpretations of their behaviour.

Ansiedade e depressão de mães de recém-nascidos com malformações visíveis

Este estudo teve como objetivo comparar as condições emocionais de mães cujos filhos nascem com malformações visíveis, em dois momentos: após o nascimento e três meses após alta hospitalar. Para tanto, foram avaliados os sinais de ansiedade e depressão de 17 mães desses recém-nascidos pelo Inventário de Depressão de Beck e Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado - IDATE. Confirmando a literatura, com outras crianças de risco, observaram-se altos índices de ansiedade e depressão no pós-parto imediato, uma redução significativa da ansiedade-estado, da depressão e dos sinais clínicos de ansiedade, três meses após a alta. Pode-se supor que estava ocorrendo uma adaptação gradual dessas mães, que contavam com suporte social e grupo de apoio, à medida que tinham um contato íntimo com a criança e percebiam suas habilidades como cuidadoras. Discutem-se as limitações do estudo e necessidade de investigações orientadas para aprofundar a identificação dos fatores que potencializam ou dificultam a adaptação materna.

A Six-month Follow-up Study of Maternal Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms among Japanese

BackgroundMaternal psychological distress has been widely studied, but epidemiologic data based on follow-up studies of maternal psychological distress remain insufficient in Japan. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among child-rearing women in Japan at two time-points after childbirth.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire was delivered on two occasions to 2,657 women who had given birth in 2004: first when their infants were 3-4 months old and then again when their infants were 9-10 months old. The questionnaire included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; Japanese version) to estimate the level of maternal psychological distress.ResultsThe total percentage of women with anxiety symptoms as assessed by a HADS score of 8+ was 26.2 % at 3-4 months of age, and 26.1 % at 9-10 months. Among the women without anxiety symptoms at 3-4 months, 11.6 % showed anxiety symptoms at 9-10 months. The total percentage of depressive symptoms was 19.0 % at 3-4 months, and 24.0 % at 9-10 months. Among the women without depressive symptoms at 3-4 months, 14.0 % showed depressive symptoms at 9-10 months.ConclusionAnxiety symptoms in mothers appeared to persist from 3-4 months to 9-10 months after childbirth, while depressive symptoms tended to be more common at 9-10 months after childbirth. Nevertheless, the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was higher than that of depressive symptoms.

Impact of uncertainty associated with a child's chronic health condition on parents' health.

We investigated whether uncertainty about the impact of children's chronic health conditions on their daily lives leads to changes in mothers' and fathers' mental and physical health. Three waves of data were collected over three years from parents of 228 children with chronic health conditions. Parents reported their level of uncertainty about how the child's health condition affected the child's daily life, as well as measures of their own mental and physical health at each wave of data collection. Results of structural equation models indicate that, among mothers, more illness-related uncertainty was associated with a subsequent increase in psychological symptoms relative to other mothers in the study. Psychological symptoms, in turn, were associated with a subsequent increase in physical symptoms among mothers. Uncertainty did not affect fathers' health. Illness-related uncertainty may be a risk factor for psychological and physical symptoms in mothers of children with chronic health conditions. As such, interventions that address uncertainty related to the child's chronic health condition may improve psychological and physical well-being of mothers of children with chronic health conditions.

Reciprocal models of child behavior and depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers in a sample of children at risk for early conduct problems.

Although much has been written about transactional models in the study of parenting practices, relatively few researchers have used this approach to examine how child behavior might be related to parental well-being. This study used latent growth curve modeling to test transactional models of age 2 child noncompliance, parental depressive symptoms, and age 4 internalizing and externalizing behaviors using a subsample of families in the Early Steps Multisite Study. In unconditional models, maternal depressive symptoms showed a linear decrease from child ages 2 to 4, whereas paternal depression did not show significant change. Observed child noncompliance at age 2 showed significant associations with concurrent reports of maternal depressive symptoms and trend-level associations with paternal depressive symptoms. For both parents, higher levels of initial depressive symptoms were related to increased age 4 child internalizing behaviors. The findings provide support for reciprocal process models of parental depression and child behavior, and this study is one of the first to present empirical evidence that fathers' depressive symptoms have bidirectional associations with their children's behavior in early childhood.

Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms After Childbirth: Does Ethnicity Have an Impact?

The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to examine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms in mothers during the first 6 months after giving birth, as well as to investigate whether ethnicity has an impact on the occurrence of such symptoms. Twenty-two women completed the Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Questionnaire at a community health center. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlations, and independent sample t-tests. Higher total Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire scores were related to higher numbers of both perinatal and postpartum complications. In addition, Hispanic women were found to be less likely to experience avoidance than Caucasian women. Although more research is needed, findings from this study demonstrate a preliminary relationship between the two variables, ethnicity and avoidance.

Maternal depression, child behavior, and injury

Background:Few data exist on the effect of maternal depression on child injury outcomes and mediators of this relationship.Objective:To examine the relationship between mothers’ depressive symptoms and medically attended injuries in...

Anxiety, depressive, and posttraumatic stress symptoms in mothers of children with type 1 diabetes

This study investigated the prevalence of mothers' anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms triggered by their child's type 1 diabetes and identified individual diabetes-related traumatic stressors. Sixty mothers of children who had been diagnosed with diabetes within the past 5 years were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) DSM-IV-PTSD module, and completed the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Fifteen percent of participants met criteria for partial and 10% for full PTSD. Fifty-five percent of participants identified hearing about their child's diagnosis as the traumatic stressor. Forty percent of participants reported moderate to severe symptoms of state-anxiety and 17% moderate to severe symptoms of depression. This study highlights the significant emotional impact this diagnosis in children can have on mothers, and identifies a population with clinical needs.