title: ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN EARLY MATERNAL DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOM TRAJECTORIES AND TODDLERS' FELT SECURITY AT 18 MONTHS: ARE BOYS AND GIRLS AT DIFFERENTIAL RISK?
abstract: The goal of this study was to evaluate whether there are sex differences in children's vulnerability to caregiving risk, as indexed by trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms assessed from 2 to 18 months' postpartum, and children's rated attachment security in toddlerhood, adjusting for maternal social support and demographic risk. Analyses utilized longitudinal data collected for 182 African American mother-child dyads from economically diverse backgrounds. Participants were recruited at the time of the child's birth and followed to 18 months' postpartum. Results of conditional latent growth models indicated that an increasing rate of change in level of maternal depressive symptoms over time negatively predicted toddlers' felt attachment security. Higher social support was associated with decreasing levels of maternal depressive symptoms over time whereas higher demographic risk was associated with increasing levels of maternal depressive symptoms. A subsequent multigroup conditional latent growth model revealed that child sex moderated these associations. For male (but not female) children, a rapid increase in maternal depressive symptoms was associated with lower felt attachment security at 18 months. These findings suggest that boys, as compared to girls, may be more vulnerable to early caregiving risks such as maternal depression, with negative consequences for mother-child attachment security in toddlerhood.
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University.
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beeghly
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University.
authors.forename: Ty
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Partridge
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts, Boston.
authors.forename: Ed
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tronick
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan Health Sciences Center.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muzik
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University.
authors.forename: Mahya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahimian Mashhadi
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University.
authors.forename: Jordan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Boeve
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University.
authors.forename: Jessica L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Irwin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012306:Risk; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African American; Afroamerikaner; Geschlechtsunterschiede; Trajektorien mütterlicher depressiver Symptome; afro-americano; apoyo social materno; diferencias de sexo; différences entre les sexes ; gefühlte Bindungssicherheit von Kleinkindern; maternal depressive symptom trajectories; maternal social support; mütterliche soziale Unterstützung; noir américain; seguridad afectiva sentida por el infante; sex differences; soutien social maternel ; sécurit'e de l'attachement perçue par le jeune enfant ; toddler felt attachment security; trajectoires de symptômes dépressifs maternels ; trayectorias de síntomas depresivos maternos; アフリカ系アメリカ人; 幼児が感じる愛着の安定性; 幼兒依附安全感; 性別差異; 性差; 母親の抑鬱症状の軌跡; 母親の社会的支援; 產婦抑鬱症狀軌跡; 產婦社會支持; 非裔美國人