Depression, Parental Stress and Infant Development in Chile

• In Event: Maternal health and child development during early infancy

Abstract

Parental mental health and parental stress have shown a negative association with child development, as they interfere with parental abilities. Hence, parental distress is a risk factor for child development (Molfese et al., 2010; Cappa et al., 2011). Parental stress generates direct and indirect effects on children’s socio-emotional, cognitive, and language development (Harmeyer et al., 2016; Harewood, Vallotton & Brophy-Herb, 2017). Several researchers argue that this effect occurs indirectly, primarily through the type of interactions that mothers display with their children, or the degree of responsiveness and sensitivity to their needs (Noel, Peterson & Jesso, 2008).

Depressive symptoms are also associated with less desirable parenting practices. Studies indicate that while these types of symptoms increase, caregivers become less positive and responsive to children, more hostile, less committed, and less consistent when applying discipline, all elements that have been associated with child development (Belsky, 1993; Goldstein, Diener & Mangelsdorf, 1996; Nix and Meunier, 2009).

We use data from Chile, a country with a high prevalence of mental health problems. The prevalence of depression among new mothers in Chile is 10.2% but increases to close to 40% when combined with anxiety (Jadresic, 2014). Although maternal depression appears to be similar across settings, its impact on parenting practices may vary in a culturally dependent fashion (Bornstein, 2010).

In this context, this study seeks to analyze the association between parents' psychological factors and practices and infant development. The first objective is to describe whether maternal mental health is associated with children's cognitive, language, and temperament development. Also, we seek to define whether this association is mediated by the practices that parents carry out or the quality of the environment at home.

Our sample includes children aged 13 months old on average (n=1162) and their families, who participated in the first wave (2019) of the "First Thousand Days Study" (in Spanish, "Mil Primeros Días"). The study includes several sociodemographic measures. Also, it provides infant temperament and infant cognitive and language development measures (Infant Behaviour Questionnaire-Revised and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development), and parental stress and depression measures (Parenting Stress Index and Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression). Also, the environment in which the children develop was evaluated with The Home Observation Measurement of the Environment (HOME) and the quality of mother-child interactions with the instrument Three Bags Tasks (Brady-Smith, et al., 1999).

Using a “path analysis model”, our preliminary analysis shows that parental stress exhibits a negative association with children's temperament, cognitive and language development. Also, we find that parental stress shows a negative association with parenting interaction, especially with parental responsivity. Also, we found a negative, indirect association between parental stress and adult responsivity and acceptance measured by the HOME instrument.

Future analyses will include a more detailed exploration of all domains of the “Three Bags Task” and HOME instruments. We will also discuss emerging findings of commonalities and differences between this study and previous studies from developed countries.

Authors

• Marigen Narea, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
  Presenting Author

• David Torres
  Non-Presenting Author