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Maternal Depression And Its Association With Insecurely Attached Infants; A Review Of The Research

 

            
             Running Head: DEPRESSION ASSOCIATED WITH ATTACHMENT.
            
            
            
            
            
            
             The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that maternal depression and quality of attachment are associated in children ranging from infancy to 7 years of age. Based on a power analysis 40 mother-infant dyads will be recruited and put into two groups, one of depressed mothers and their infants, and then the non-depressed mothers and their infants. The dyads will be recruited from the NY metropolitan area by posting fliers in grocery stores and places where baby supplies are sold, advertising in newspapers and radio ads, and in therapist's offices. Maternal depression will be measured by Beck's Depression Inventory which is a self-report. A score of 17 or above indicates a need for professional treatment of depression. Mothers will also be evaluated for depression by DSM-IV criteria which is comprised of having an episode of depression lasting at least two weeks with symptoms severe enough to upset daily routine, impair work, or interfere with relationships. The quality of attachment would be measured through the observational method; Strange Situation and either one of the four attachment styles would be attributed to the infants. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that maternal depression will be associated with infant's quality of attachment such that those who are depressed will be more likely to have insecurely attached infants than mothers who are not depressed.
             Maternal Depression 3 .
             The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that maternal depression and quality of attachment are associated in children ranging from infancy to 7 years of age. .
             Significance.
             According to the National Mental Health Association (2000) women experience depression approximately twice the rate of men. In the United States, 12 million women experience depression every year. Overall, one out of eight women will develop depression during their lifetime.


Essays Related to Maternal Depression And Its Association With Insecurely Attached Infants; A Review Of The Research

1. The Formation of Maternal Attachments

Maternal Deprivation The term maternal deprivation has been used to describe a whole range of situations in which the infant is deprived of his relationship with his mother. Bowlby was the first to present firm research into the adverse effects of early deprivation of maternal care when he reported to the World Health Organisation in 1951. ... In this unit were going to examine the research evidence, which has indicated that such effects can result from maternal deprivation and also the evidence which refutes this. ... The third was very insecure and suffered from depression. The fourth had no...

  • Word Count: 2290
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Relationships and the Attachment Theory

As a result, infants unconsciously react by attaching to their caregivers. ... Oral stage, the first step of his theory, sees infants become attached to an object that provides oral fulfillment. Freud believed that infants develop maternal relationships because mothers feed them and satisfy their hunger. ... The ultimate goal of attachment seeking is known as "felt security" and the continuance of convenience and awareness and is essential in its endorsement of survival with others. ... This is most evident with maternal compassion. ...

  • Word Count: 1872
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Child Psych

Concerns that nonmaternal rearing in the early years with affective and cognitive deficits led to concerns that maternal deprivation posed hazards for the emotional well-being of young children. It was argued that "elevated rates of insecure attachment, especially insecure-avoidant relationships, were linked to child care; and that babies experience daily separation as maternal rejection."" ... These studies conducted as early as 1969 came to the conclusion that "infants who experienced 20 or more hours per week of routine child care in the first year were significantly more likely to be cl...

  • Word Count: 1267
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Researchers now believe that infants who die of SIDS are born with one or more conditions that make them vulnerable to both internal and external stresses that occur in the normal life of an infant. ... SIDS occurs more often in boys than girls, with a sixty to forty percent ratio. ... Experts still have not been able to foresee which infants will die from SIDS, but modern research has provided direction in determining which infants may be at an increased risk of dying from SIDS. ... Maternal risk factors include smoking, poor prenatal care, maternal age less than 20, low weight gain and a...

  • Word Count: 1123
  • Approx Pages: 4

5. Child Care

Concerns that nonmaternal rearing in the early years with affective and cognitive deficits led to concerns that maternal deprivation posed hazards for the emotional well-being of young children. It was argued that "elevated rates of insecure attachment, especially insecure-avoidant relationships, were linked to child care; and that babies experience daily separation as maternal rejection."" ... These studies conducted as early as 1969 came to the conclusion that "infants who experienced 20 or more hours per week of routine child care in the first year were significantly more likely to be cl...

  • Word Count: 1560
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Attachment Relationships in Early Childhood

It was found that about 70% of children had the secure attachment type (the infant becomes distressed when the caregiver leaves and immediately seeks contact when caregiver returns), 10% were resistant (the infant is insecure in the presence of the caregiver and becomes distressed when the caregiver leaves). Finally 20% were found to be avoidant (the infant does not seek contact with the caregiver and shows little distress when separated). ... Bowlby (1953) claimed that breaking the maternal bond with the child during early childhood can have serious negative consequences on its emotional, int...

  • Word Count: 1705
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. The effects of crisis parentin

These transient living conditions create insecurity in the lives of youth. This insecurity can lead to maladaptive behaviors. ... The onset of homelessness can be a major contributing factor in maternal depression. Studies have shown a direct association between poor maternal mental health, particularly depression, and impaired parenting (Cowal, Shinn, Weitzman, Stojanovic & Labay, 2002). ... Finkelstein, J., Donenberg, G., and Martinovich, Z. (2001) Maternal control and adolescent depression: Ethnic differences among clinically referred girls, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, April 2001,...

  • Word Count: 1308
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. SIDS

In 1989 a panel of experts reviewed the scientific knowledge developed during the previous 20 years and issued this definition:"the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history" (National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center). ... The second element, the vulnerable infant, represents an infant with an underlying defect or abnormality. ... Maternal risk factors: 1. ... Prenatal and postnatal maternal smoking 3. ...

  • Word Count: 2208
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Freud and Psychodynamic Theories

For her, childhood was the period during which each child could become its 'real self', the endpoint of personality development. ... Research on the importance of mothers to attachment security in the Metera Babies Centre in Athens, (Vorria et al. 2003) found that 66% of infants who had been reared in residential care from birth showed disorganized patterns of attachment. ... Indeed attachment researchers now agree that the negative consequences of being separated from one attachment figure can be attenuated by another, and that clear interventions can enhance material sensitivity a...

  • Word Count: 2229
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Graduate