TY - JOUR
T1 - Maternal emotional availability and perinatal depressive symptoms as predictors of early childhood executive function
AU - Power, Josephine
AU - Watson, Stuart
AU - Chen, Wai
AU - Lewis, Andrew J.
AU - van IJzendoorn, Marinus H.
AU - Galbally, Megan
PY - 2024/11/15
Y1 - 2024/11/15
N2 - Background: The interconnected effects of maternal perinatal depression and the early mother-infant relational quality on children's executive function development are crucial yet understudied. This study addresses this gap, focusing on how perinatal depressive symptoms and emotional availability at 6 months predict child executive function performance at age four, with an emphasis on the moderating role of emotional availability. Method: This study included 282 mother-infant pairs recruited from the Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study, utilising repeated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale measurement over the perinatal period, Emotional Availability Scales, and child executive function assessments (Shape School, NEPSY-II, Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity scale, inattentive subscale). Latent growth curve analysis incorporated controls for socioeconomic status and maternal cognitive abilities, and moderation effects were examined through multiplicative interaction terms. Results: We found that emotional availability influences children's executive function, specifically switching, motor inhibition, and inattentive symptoms, irrespective of maternal depressive symptom changes. This effect is further nuanced by emotional availability's moderating role in the association between depressive symptom change and switching. Limitations: The study's limitations include a relatively small sample size for moderation analysis and the exclusion of paternal influences. Conclusion: This study is a significant step in understanding the profound influence of maternal emotional availability in infancy on child executive function development, offering new avenues for research and, if replicated, a foundation for innovative intervention approaches.
AB - Background: The interconnected effects of maternal perinatal depression and the early mother-infant relational quality on children's executive function development are crucial yet understudied. This study addresses this gap, focusing on how perinatal depressive symptoms and emotional availability at 6 months predict child executive function performance at age four, with an emphasis on the moderating role of emotional availability. Method: This study included 282 mother-infant pairs recruited from the Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study, utilising repeated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale measurement over the perinatal period, Emotional Availability Scales, and child executive function assessments (Shape School, NEPSY-II, Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity scale, inattentive subscale). Latent growth curve analysis incorporated controls for socioeconomic status and maternal cognitive abilities, and moderation effects were examined through multiplicative interaction terms. Results: We found that emotional availability influences children's executive function, specifically switching, motor inhibition, and inattentive symptoms, irrespective of maternal depressive symptom changes. This effect is further nuanced by emotional availability's moderating role in the association between depressive symptom change and switching. Limitations: The study's limitations include a relatively small sample size for moderation analysis and the exclusion of paternal influences. Conclusion: This study is a significant step in understanding the profound influence of maternal emotional availability in infancy on child executive function development, offering new avenues for research and, if replicated, a foundation for innovative intervention approaches.
KW - Child development
KW - Executive function
KW - Perinatal depression
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=uwapure5-25&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001301665400001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.044
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.044
M3 - Article
C2 - 39178959
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 365
SP - 332
EP - 340
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -