Mother-child interaction observed at home.

Lower-class and middle-class mother-child pairs were observed in their homes. In contrast to other studies, very few class differences were found in maternal behavior. These results are discussed in terms of the contexts in which observations are made.     

Birth measures and depression at age 31 years: the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study

The aim of the study was to explore whether there is an association between body size at birth measured by birth weight and ponderal index and later depression at the age of 31 years. The analyses were based on 4007 males and 4332 females born in 1966 in the two northernmost provinces of Finland with data on current depression measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 questionnaire (HSCL-25) and self-reported physician-diagnosed lifetime depression at 31 years and childhood characteristics. The associations between birth measures and later depression were analysed with several confounding factors including maternal depression during pregnancy. Low birth measures did not associate with adult depression in men or women. Women with high birth weight (>/=4500 g) had a higher risk for current depression compared to women with birth weight 3000 g-3499 g. Women with high ponderal index (the highest 90-95 percentiles and >/=95 percentiles) had a 1.53-1.55 higher likelihood for current depression compared with women with normal ponderal index. Based on this study, large body size at birth may be a risk factor for later depression.     

Mother-child interactions in depressed children and children at high risk and low risk for future depression

ObjectiveTo compare mother-child interactions and parenting styles in families of children with major depressive disorder, youths at high risk for depression, and healthy controls.MethodCurrently depressed (n = 43), high-risk (n = 28), and healthy control (n = 41) youths and their mothers engaged in a standardized videotaped problem-solving interaction. Measures of affect and behavior for both mothers and children were obtained, in addition to global measures of parenting.ResultsDepressed children demonstrated more negativity and less positivity in dyadic interactions than did children at high risk and control children. Mothers of depressed children were more disengaged than control mothers. Exploratory repeated-measures analyses in a subgroup of depressed children (n = 16) suggested mother-child interactions do not significantly change when children recover from depression. Children at high risk demonstrated less positivity in dyadic interactions than did controls. Mothers with a history of major depressive disorder and mothers with higher current depressive symptoms demonstrated patterns of disengagement and low control in interactions with children.ConclusionsMother-child interactions in depressed youths are marked by maternal disengagement and low child positivity that may not improve when children recover. The bidirectional effects of maternal disengagement and low levels of child positivity may precede onset of major depressive disorder in children and serve as risk factors for recurrent depression in youths.     

Mother-child interactions with nonretarded and mentally retarded preschoolers

Comparisons of mother-child interaction patterns exhibited during free-play sessions were made between 8 mother-mentally retarded child dyads and 8 mother-nonretarded child dyads. Mothers' perceptions of randomly selected interactions were also examined. The children were matched for cognitive level on the basis of play behavior. The mean age of the retarded children was 46.5 months; of the nonretarded children, 27.2 months. Results indicated that mothers of retarded children dominated the play sessions more than did the comparison mothers. In addition, they perceived themselves as trying to change their children's behavior more often than did the comparison mothers. The retarded children responded less frequently to their mothers' initiations than did the nonretarded children, and they initiated less than half as many interactions. Findings were discussed within the framework of symbolic interaction theory, and suggestions for future research were outlined.     

Mother-child relationship quality among adolescents and adults with autism

The mother-child relationship in families of 202 adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder living at home and its association with maternal caregiving gains and strains were examined. Findings indicate a wide range of variability in the quality of the mother-child relationship, although most were characterized as positive across multiple measures. Characteristics of the son or daughter with autism (less severe maladaptive behaviors, better health, and less social impairments) and characteristics of the mother (lower levels of pessimism) were predictive of more positive mother-child relationships. In turn, specific aspects of the mother-child relationship (greater positive affect and warmth), along with other child and maternal characteristics, predicted fewer maternal caregiving strains and, to a lesser extent, greater caregiving gains.     

Verbal-Performance Discrepancies: Relationship to Birth Risk and Specific Reading Retardation

169 unselected children were given the WPPSI at 4 1/2 years and the WISC-R at 8 1/2 years. Retrospective data on perinatal risk factors and neurological disease in childhood were collected.Verbal-performance discrepancies at 4 1/2 years were not related to perinatal risk, childhood neurological disease, left-handedness or subsequent reading ability. A weak relationship was found between WISC-R verbal-performance discrepancies and perinatal history. At 8 1/2 years, VIQ correlated much more strongly with reading ability than did PIQ.Consequently, the relationship between verbal-performance discrepancy and specific reading retardation depends critically on how reading retardation is defined. Logical problems concerning the definition of specific reading retardation are discussed.     

Mother-child relations and the development of empathy: A short-term longitudinal study

Ninety-four first graders were given measures of parental identification, gender consistency, and empathy early in the school year and six months later. The results suggest that the capacity for empathy in children is related to identification with their mothers.Thanks are due to the staff and students of the Indooroopilly and Kenmore Catholic Schools for their fine cooperation. This paper was prepared in part with support from the Australian Research Grants Scheme and the University Research Grants Committee of the University of Queensland.     

Mother-child interaction in hyperactive and normal kindergarten-aged children and the effect of treatment

Characteristics of mother-child interaction in hyperactive and normal kindergarten-aged children were compared. Also, for the hyperactives the relative effects of methylphenidate and cognitive behavior modification, used alone and in combination, were evaluated. The results support some of the findings of previous studies with older children which indicate that mothers of hyperactives provide more direction and control than mothers of normal children. Mother-child interaction was not differentially affected by the various treatments.This research was supported by a grant from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation, Grant number 701-76/78. The authors wish to thank Mr. Syl Sauro of the Etobicoke Board of Education and Mrs. M. Stijovic of the Etobicoke Community Health Department; without their co-operation this work could not have been completed.     

Risk of Adult Schizophrenia and Its Relationship to Childhood IQ in the 1958 British Birth Cohort

Background: An inverse relationship between risk of schizophrenia and premorbid IQ is a robust empirical finding. Cognitive impairment may be a core feature of schizophrenia in addition to the clinical symptoms that have historically defined the disorder. Aims: To evaluate whether risk of schizophrenia increases linearly or nonlinearly with the lowering of premorbid IQ after adjustment for a range of confounding factors. Methods: IQ data from the 1958 National Child Development Study, a prospective national birth cohort (n = 17 419), were linked with psychiatric admissions in England and Wales over a 20-year period. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition diagnoses were derived from case notes. Results: A clear nonlinear inverse relationship between general intelligence at ages 7 and 11 and risk of adult psychosis was found even after adjustment for potential social, behavioral, or demographic confounding factors. No such relationship was found for affective disorders. Conclusions: The nonlinear relationship suggests an excess risk of schizophrenia in children with premorbid IQ in the learning disabilities range. Previous reports of a linear relationship are likely to be a result of less sensitive statistical methods for detecting nonlinearity.Key words: risk of schizophrenia, premorbid IQ, birth cohort, epidemiology     

Separation anxiety: at the neurobiological crossroads of adaptation and illness

Physiological and adaptive separation anxiety (SA) is intimately connected with the evolutionary emergence of new brain structures specific of paleomammalians, the growth of neomammalian—and later hominid—brain and skull size, and the appearance of bipedalism. All these evolutionary milestones have contributed to expanding the behavioral repertoire and plasticity of prehuman and human beings, at the cost of more prolonged dependency of the infant and of the child on parental care. Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) can be seen as an exaggerated/inappropriate manifestation of SA that constitutes a gateway to poorer mental and physical health. By blending epidemiological, genetic-epidemiological, endophenotypic, and animal laboratory approaches, it is possible to delineate some of the mechanisms that link childhood-adolescence SA and SAD to health problems later in life. Causal mechanisms include gene-environment interplays and likely differential regulation of genes and functional net-works that simultaneously affect multiple behavioral and physical phenotypes after exposure to early-life adversity, including parental separation/loss.