Effects of maternal depressive symptoms and infant gender on the interactions between mothers and their medically at-risk infants.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of maternal depressive symptoms and infant gender on interactions between mothers and medically at-risk infants.


METHODS
Longitudinal, descriptive secondary analysis.


METHODS
Neonatal intensive care unit, intermediate care unit, and infectious disease clinic of the tertiary medical centers in the Southeast and East.


METHODS
One hundred and eight preterm infants and their mothers, 67 medically fragile infants and their mothers, and 83 infants seropositive for HIV and their primary caregivers were studied in their homes between 6 and 24 months.


METHODS
Observation and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory were used to assess the interactions of mothers and their medically at-risk infants. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.


RESULTS
The level of depressive symptoms did not differ between the mothers of boys and mothers of girls in the three groups. Mothers of medically fragile infants had higher levels of depressive symptoms than mothers of preterm infants at 6 months corrected age and similar levels of depressive symptoms as HIV-positive mothers at 12 months. Mothers of medically fragile infants with elevated depressive symptoms were less attentive and more restrictive to their infants. HIV-positive mothers with elevated depressive symptoms were less attentive to their infants. The effects of gender on mother-infant interactions were not moderated by maternal depressive symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal depressive symptoms had a somewhat negative effect on the interactions of mothers and medically at-risk infants.
Cho
June
J
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460, USA. jcho@email.unc.edu
Holditch-Davis
Diane
D
Miles
Margaret S
MS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology*; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States