Poster #96 - Longitudinal moderated mediation of maternal depression and social support on maternal behaviors in adolescent mothers

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Parenting and infant caregiving are considered as one of the most stressful demands of life events, particularly for women who often are the main (and sometimes the only) responsible for child care during the first months postpartum (e.g., Green, Furrer, & McAllister, 2007). This is particularly relevant for adolescent mothers who often live in vulnerable socioeconomic backgrounds, lacking personal and social resources, with a negative impact on the quality of caregiving (Evans et al., 2008). Nevertheless, the way this process occurs and the quality of maternal behaviors endorsed to infant care are related to personal (e.g., depression, attachment style) and contextual features (e.g., social support; e.g., Jones, Cassidy, & Shaver, 2015). Self-reported adult attachment is described as a stable construct associated with the quality of maternal caregiving. However, external characteristics, such as social support or maternal depression might affect this relation (e.g., Green et al., 2008). This study examined longitudinally the effects of postpartum depression, social support perceptions and attachment style on maternal behaviors in a sample of low-income adolescent mothers and their 12 months-old infants. We hypothesized that attachment style will moderate the indirect effect of social support perceptions on the association between depressive symptoms and mothers’ positive behavior. The final sample counted with 41 Brazilian adolescent mothers (Mage=16.88 years; SD=1.60). Self-reported social support and maternal depression scales were answered by mothers (6 and 12 months postpartum) and maternal behaviors were videotaped and coded also at 6 and 12 months postpartum. Self-reported attachment was accessed at 12 months postpartum. A moderated mediation model revealed that attachment anxiety moderated the indirect effect of depressive symptoms at 12 months postpartum on mothers’ positive behaviors through perceptions of social support (effect = .348, 95% CI, .009, .920). However, only one indirect effect (those from mothers with higher levels of anxiety) was significant (effect = .68, 95% CI, .171, 1.505). Findings pointed out to the importance of personal and social resources to improve the quality of maternal behaviors, particularly among adolescents from vulnerable backgrounds. The way individuals perceive others’ availability, relying on attachment style, however, influence the way they elicit and seek for support and consequently the support they receive (e.g., Collins & Feeney, 2013). Moreover, the received support seems contribute to mediate the potential negative impact of psychosocial vulnerabilities on the quality of maternal behaviors (e.g., Evans et al., 2008). These findings may be helpful to subsidy interventions and public policies targeting social support dynamics for this population, aiming to promote the quality of interaction.

Authors

• Eva Diniz, CIS-IUL, ISCTE-IUL; UFRGS
  Presenting Author

• Tânia Brandão, CIP, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, Portugal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Silvia Koller, UFRGS
  Non-Presenting Author