Maternal depressive symptoms, self-focus, and caregiving behavior
Open accessAbstract
Background Parent-child interactions set the stage for child mental health and development. Given that maternal depressive symptoms are associated with poorer observed caregiving behaviors, examining potential cognitive mediators is important for identifying mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of risk and possible targets for intervention. Methods We assessed depressive symptoms and levels of self-focus and psychological distancing from infant-centered verbal narratives obtained from 54 mothers, and examined caregiving behaviors in a structured interaction with their six-month-old infants. Results Higher depressive symptoms were associated with pronoun use in narratives (i.e., greater "I" and reduced "we" use), reflecting increased self-focus and psychological distancing. Further, increased self-focus was associated with lower levels of caregiver warmth, and mediated the association between depressive symptoms and caregiving warmth. Limitations This observational study does not allow for causal interpretations. Conclusion These findings suggest that the cognitive styles associated with depression interfere with the caregiving relationship, affecting behavior in parent-child interactions that may increase the risk for the intergenerational transmission of depression.
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Worry or rumination can impair the maternal-child relationship.
“Worry or rumination can also impair the maternal-child relationship [40, 41]”
From Exploring the effects of mental health on bonding and caregiving among pregnant and postpartum persons with likely depression and/or PTSD in South Africa: a qualitative analysis (2026) · cites this paper as [40]
The Discussion (page not provided) reports that greater maternal self-focus was associated with lower observed warmth toward six-month-old infants, supporting a related concern about caregiving. The paper does not establish that worry or rumination impairs the relationship; it notes that thoughtful, ruminative self-focus could reduce negative mood. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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“Repeated Still-Face Paradigm (SFP-R; Haley and Stansbury, 2003; Tronick et al., 1978).”
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“…related to children's internalization of values, trusting of parents (Davidov and Grusec, 2006; Grusec et al., 2000), and empathy towards others (Humphreys et al., 2015), warmth has been linked to better regulation of children's positive affect and peer acceptance (Davidov and Grusec, 2006),…”
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Sorted by citations
Perinatal depression and infant mental health
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The neglect–enrichment continuum: Characterizing variation in early caregiving environments
King, L. S., Humphreys, K. L., & Gotlib, I. H. (2019) · Developmental Review · doi:10.1016/j.dr.2019.01.001 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Self-citationGulbicki, L. R., Fertig, M. R., Githaiga, J. N., Gwangqa, L., Kabel, K. E., Lee, J. H., Knight, L., O’Cleirigh, C., Psaros, C., & Stanton, A. M. (2026) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-026-09006-3
- Authors
- Humphreys, K. L., King, L. S., Choi, P., & Gotlib, I. H.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Humphreys, Kathryn L.
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-10
- Volume
- 238
- Pages
- 465-471
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6604802
- OpenAlex
- W2807009574
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 5.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (IHG, R21 MH111978; IHG, F32 MH107129; KLH)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Keywords
- maternal depressive symptoms, self-focus, psychological distancing, caregiver behavior, parent-child interaction, intergenerational transmission of depression, pronoun usage, cognitive mediators
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Depression, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant Care, Male, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Parent-Child Relations, Thinking, Caregivers, Infant Behavior
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