1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The objectives of the present study were (1) to identify a group of children with high levels of internalising problems (IP) between 6 and 12 years […] (2) to quantify the associations between trajectories of maternal depression symptoms (MDS) during early childhood and children’s IP developmental trajectories before and after controlling for family factors associated with MDS.» (p. 922)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«We hypothesised that: (1) children exposed to high levels of MDS will be at risk of following elevated trajectories of IP compared to those with low levels of exposure and (2) the associations will be reduced but remain significant after the introduction of child, maternal, and family covariates.» (p. 922)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Participants were selected via the Québec Birth Registry using a stratified procedure based on living area and birth rate. […] The study sample included n = 1537 participants for whom the estimation of trajectories of depressive and anxiety symptoms from 6 to 12 years old was possible [….].» (p. 922-923) Data come from « combined maternal and teacher assessments […]». (p. 922)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Maternal depression symptoms during early childhood were related to an increased risk of internalising problems during middle childhood (6–12 years) after accounting for maternal comorbid psychopathology, maternal parenting behaviour and interaction with the child, as well as family functioning and family socioeconomic status in early childhood. Maternal anxiety and parenting are important factors in the family environment which are also associated with children’s internalising problems.» (p. 931) «We identified a group of children rated as having high IP according to both mothers and their teachers, indicating that these children were consistently exhibiting high levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms across different environments and multiple years. As hypothesised, exposure to MDS over the course of early childhood was related to membership in this high IP group. The association remained even after child characteristics, maternal psychopathology and socioeconomic factors were controlled in the models. […] These findings support previous research which suggests that maladaptive parenting practices and exposure to other forms of maternal psychopathology contribute significantly to the development of IP in the offspring […]. Indeed, parenting practices, particularly parental hostility, have been identified as mediators of the association between MDS and children’s socio-emotional outcomes […]. Overall, these results are in line with earlier studies reporting associations between MDS and elevated levels of children’s IP in early childhood […].» (p. 929)