title: Psychopathology and parenting: An examination of perceived and observed parenting in mothers with depression and PTSD.
abstract: The postpartum period represents a major transition in the lives of many women, a time when women are at increased risk for the emergence of psychopathology including depression and PTSD. The current study aimed to better understand the unique contributions of clinically significant postpartum depression, PTSD, and comorbid PTSD/depression on mother-infant bonding and observed maternal parenting behaviors (i.e., behavioral sensitivity, negative affect, positive affect) at 6 months postpartum.
  
  
  
  Mothers (n=164; oversampled for history of childhood maltreatment given parent study's focus on perinatal mental health in women with trauma histories) and infants participated in 6-month home visit during which dyads engaged in interactional tasks varying in level of difficulties. Mothers also reported on their childhood abuse histories, current depression/PTSD symptoms, and bonding with the infant using standardized and validated instruments.
  
  
  
  Mothers with clinically significant depression had the most parenting impairment (self-report and observed). Mothers with clinically significant PTSD alone (due to interpersonal trauma that occurred predominately in childhood) showed similar interactive behaviors to those who were healthy controls or trauma-exposed but resilient (i.e., no postpartum psychopathology). Childhood maltreatment in the absence of postpartum psychopathology did not infer parenting risk.
  
  
  
  Findings are limited by (1) small cell sizes per clinical group, limiting power, (2) sample size and sample demographics prohibited examination of third variables that might also impact parenting (e.g., income, education), (3) self-report of symptoms rather than use of psychiatric interviews.
  
  
  
  Findings show that in the context of child abuse history and/or current PTSD, clinically significant maternal depression was the most salient factor during infancy that was associated with parenting impairment at this level of analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: muzik@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muzik
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hruschak
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine Lisa
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
authors.affiliation: College of Education, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bocknek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beeghly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Depression; Parenting; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Postpartum period