title: A longitudinal study of maternal depressive symptoms, negative expectations and perceptions of child problems.
abstract: The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the associations between maternal depressive symptoms and perceptions of children's problems. One hundred and nineteen mother-child dyads were followed from the third trimester of pregnancy for almost 10 years. Depressive symptoms and background factors of the mothers and the anticipated/perceived problems of their firstborn were assessed prenatally, postnatally, and when the child was 4-5 years and 8-9 years old. The simultaneous and long-term associations between maternal depressive symptoms and child's problems were examined. Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms, the continuity of negative expectations to postnatal problem perceptions, and high problem level at 4-5 years of child's age predicted high problem level in 8-9-year-olds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry, Tampere University Hospital, University of Tampere, Medical School. ilona.luoma@uta.fi
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Luoma
authors.forename: Pälvi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaukonen
authors.forename: Mirjami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mäntymaa
authors.forename: Kaija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Puura
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamminen
authors.forename: Raili
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salmelin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D012938:Social Perception