Within-Dyad Bidirectional Relations Among Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Child Behavior Problems from Infancy Through Preschool

• In Event: Bidirectional Influences Among Mother-Child Dyads: Exploring Child-Directed Effects Across Multiple Timescales

Abstract

A considerable amount of empirical work has demonstrated unidirectional effects of maternal depressive symptoms on child functioning in the first few years of life (Goodman et al., 2011). Although theory focuses on the impact of a mother’s depression on her child’s behavior problems and the impact of child behavior on mother’s depression, commonly-used cross-lagged panel models are incapable of distinguishing the desired within-dyad processes from between-dyad effects (Berry & Willoughby, 2015). In recent years, researchers have employed innovative statistical models that are able to differentiate between-dyad and within-dyad sources of variance, and elucidate within-dyad associations across time, in line with dyadic theory. Among a sample of low-income, Mexican-American mother-child dyads, we evaluated the within-dyad, bidirectional transaction between maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems across multiple time points spanning key developmental periods, from child age 1 to 4.5 years.

At five laboratory visits (1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4.5 years postpartum), women (N = 322, Mage = 27.8) reported on their depressive symptoms (CESD; Radloff, 1977), infant and toddler behavior problems (BITSEA: Briggs-Gowan et al., 2004), and child behavior problems (CBCL/1.5-5; Achenbach, 2001). Women reported on several covariates prenatally (economic hardship, child biological sex, number of other children).

Primary analyses were conducted in Mplus v.8.4 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2017) using autoregressive latent trajectory modeling with structured residuals (ALT-SR; Curran et al., 2014), which allowed for modeling of between-dyad differences in intercepts and change in maternal depressive symptoms and child behaviors, as well as within-dyad concurrent and prospective relations between maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems, across the first 4.5 years of life. Several within-dyad transactional paths and concurrent relations were statistically significant. More child behavior problems at 1-year significantly predicted more maternal depressive symptoms at 1.5 years (Est = 0.285, SE Est = 0.134, p = .034). More maternal depressive symptoms at 2 years significantly predicted more child behavior problems at 3 years (Est = 0.164, SE Est = 0.068, p = .016). More child behavior problems at 3 years significantly predicted greater maternal depressive symptoms at 4.5 years (Est = 0.384, SE Est = 0.126, p = .002). Maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems were concurrently and positively associated at 1.5, 3, and 4.5 years (all p’s < .001).

Our results reveal evidence of longitudinal bidirectional mother-child transactions and concurrent association between maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems at the within-dyad level, and evidence of within-person stability in child behavior problems early in life. Notably, we found evidence of child-directed transaction at the within-dyad level, highlighting the importance of assessing bidirectional pathways of influence consistent with dyadic theory. The current study is the first to document child-directed effects on maternal mental health at the within-dyad level as early as infancy. Future work may aim to evaluate mechanisms underlying transaction at the within-dyad level.

Authors

• Sarah Gianna Curci, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Jennifer Anne Somers, University of California - Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura K. Winstone-Weide, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author

• Linda J. Luecken, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author