Maternal depression: relations with maternal caregiving representations and emotional availability during the preschool years

• Published in: Attachment & human development Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 73 - 90
• Main Authors: Trapolini, Tania, Ungerer, Judy A., McMahon, Catherine A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.03.2008; Taylor and Francis
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; caregiving representations; Child Development; Child of Impaired Parents - psychology; Child, Preschool; Depression; Depression - psychology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; emotional availability; Empathy; Family environment. Family history; Female; Humans; Infant; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Maternal Behavior; maternal depression; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Mother-Child Relations; Object Attachment; preschool children; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Human; Mood disorder; Preschool age; Affect affectivity; Parental behavior; Mental representation; emotional availability; Depression; Cognition; Emotion emotionality; caregiving representations; Mother child relation; Maternal diseases; preschool children; Maternal behavior; Social interaction; Family environment; Child; maternal depression

This longitudinal study aimed to determine whether maternal depression was related to caregiving behavior and further whether this relationship was mediated and/or moderated by maternal caregiving representations. Ninety-two mothers were assessed for symptoms of depression when their children were 4...