1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The objective of this study is to describe the distribution of anxiety, depression social support, preterm birth, low birth weight and child attachment in [a] specific at-risk population in the years postpartum, and to tentatively explore variables that are associated with child attachment in this context.» (p. 1167)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The sample is constituted of 37 mothers and their children (Mage=37 months, SD=19 months, range 5–60 months). All mothers are immigrant, and have all been living in Canada on average 8 years (SD=5.8 years, range 1–25 years). Thirty-two (86%) children were born in Quebec, and 5 (14%) were born in the mother’s country of origin.» (p. 1167) «Mothers participating in this study were recruited through a Health and Social Service organization (CLSC) in Montreal, Quebec, located in the Parc-Extension neighborhood that is inhabited primarily by immigrant families.» (p. 1168)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Results indicated that among this socioeconomically high-risk population of immigrant women and their child, levels of clinical anxiety and depression are very high, and associated with levels of social support. Despite the relatively small sample size, results tentatively show that these mental health difficulties in the postnatal years have potential implications for the mother–child relationship. Symptoms of maternal depression may be experienced by the child as inconsistent, unresponsive, unavailable or rejecting care […], rendering the child unable to use the mother as a secure base for exploration and as a source of comfort in times of need. Results also tend to highlight the substantial stress that preterm birth can engender for the mother. In fact, in this sample, all children who were born premature had mothers who showed clinical levels of anxiety and/or depression. This is an important question for health practionners who may be the first point of contact for the identification of mental health difficulties in this specific context […]. Fifty-four percent of mothers in this sample present clinical anxiety and/or depression, which is considerably higher than the general population, which is around 10% […]. This result confirms the empirical idea that immigrant mothers may be at greater risk of mental health difficulties in the years postpartum than non-immigrant women […].» (p. 1170)