[Persistent, excessive crying in 5-month-old infants and the pre-, peri- and postnatal adversities of their mothers in a high-risk sample].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between persistent, excessive crying in 5-month-old infants and the pre- and perinatal adversities as well as postpartal mood of their mothers.


METHODS
A sample of 300 mother-child dyads was examined at infants' age of 18.5 weeks. All mothers exhibited psychosocial risks such as poverty, lack of social support, being underage, drug abuse or mental disorders. Excessive crying was assessed by the Wessel's «rule of threes». Pre-, peri- and postnatal problems were measured by self-report questionnaires.


RESULTS
Multivariate data analysis revealed an increased risk for social adversities during pregnancy (OR = 17.66) and unwanted pregnancy (OR = 13.77). For the postnatal period persistent crying was associated with a higher rate of maternal postpartum depressive symptoms, maternal stress, dysfunctional mother-child interactions, perception of the infant as being «difficult» as well as bonding problems.


CONCLUSIONS
The results point to the influence of prenatal stress in mothers and a primarily unwanted pregnancy on infants' persistent crying. An increased need for support is suggested in cases of considerably reduced well-being of the mother or bonding problems. The combined effect of prenatal variables and relationship variables influences the occurrence and perpetuation of early regulation problems.
Institut für Psychosomatische Kooperationsforschung und Familientherapie, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg. anna.sidor@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Anna
A
Sidor
Consolata
C
Thiel-Bonney
Elisabeth
E
Kunz
Andreas
A
Eickhorst
Manfred
M
Cierpka
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003448:Crying / Q000523:psychology*; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008016:Life Change Events; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D011247:Pregnancy; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted / Q000523:psychology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult