title: Parenting stress and postpartum depression/anxiety in mothers with personality disorders: indications for differential intervention priorities.
abstract: To date, parenting stress has rarely been examined in clinical samples of mothers with postpartum comorbid Axis-I disorders and Axis-II personality disorders (PD). Previous research has shown important links between maternal psychopathology and the development of child psychopathology. For these reasons, a clinical sample (N = 54) of mothers with various PD and comorbid depression/anxiety disorders were compared in this study. The clinical sample was divided into three groups based on PD: without PD, other PD, and borderline PD (BPD), and then matched according to depression/anxiety diagnoses and age. Parenting stress index (PSI, Abidin, 1995) scores were compared between these subsamples and to a nonclinical control group. No significant differences were found between mothers with various PD on global PSI scores. However, further examination of the PSI subscale scores revealed that PD were linked to an impaired sense of competence and positive reinforcement in relation to parenting. Compared to mothers with other PD, mothers with BPD had significantly more interpersonal issues. Compared to the nonclinical controls, clinically referred mothers had significantly higher PSI global and subscale scores, with notable PD-specific exceptions. These results illustrate the need for more differentiated treatment options for mothers with postpartum depression and/or anxiety disorders with PD to prevent later development of psychopathology in children of these mothers.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. b.ramsauer@uke.de.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramsauer
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mühlhan
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulte-Markwort
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Mothers with borderline personality disorder; Mother–child intervention; Parenting stress; Postpartum depression/anxiety disorder