The Exploration of Postpartum Depression Impact on Parental Intrusiveness Gabrielle E. Ortecho
P
ostpartum depression is an important factor to consider when exploring which factors contribute to child development during the postpartum period. Globally, approximately 10% to 13% of women who have given birth or are pregnant have experienced a mental disorder, most commonly depression (World Health Organization, n.d.). In developed countries, these percentages increase to 15.6% of women during pregnancy and 19.8% after childbirth (World Health Organization, n.d.). Numerous studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between maternal mental health, quality of mother-child interaction, and child development (Beck, 1998; O’Connor et al., 2002; Tronick & Reck, 2009). Postpartum depression is a major depressive disorder that typically occurs one month after childbirth (Pearlstein et al., 2009). Mothers affected by postpartum depression will experience sleep and appetite disturbance, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, diminished concentration, and suicidal ideations (Pearlstein et al., 2009). Previous studies have found higher incidences of excessive crying, sleep disruptions, and temperamental difficulties for infants when their mother’s postpartum depression remains untreated (Dennis & Ross, 2006; Orhon et al., 2007). About one out of seven American mothers experience postpartum depression (Pearlstein et al., 2009). Previous research done by the Canadian Paediatric Society shows that postpartum depression influences multiple aspects of the child’s early environment, such as caregiving behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect postpartum depression has on parental intrusiveness. The current study will explore whether the parent-child interaction can be influenced by the different degrees of parental intrusiveness due to postpartum depression. Defining Parental Intrusiveness Parents who display intrusiveness tend to overstimulate their children during parent-child interactions. Rather than providing a child with scaffolded guidance (e.g., moderating the cognitive
load), caregivers who display parental intrusiveness often bombard their child with authoritative demands with little room for flexibility or independence (Biringen & Robinson, 1991). This demand for control can strain the parent-child relationship, which may subsequently impact children’s mental health (e.g., anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety) (Wood, 2006). As such, degrees of parental intrusiveness can play a crucial role in the way parents interact with their children; however, this domain can also be impacted by a parent’s mental state. Postpartum Interactions
Depression
and
Parent-Child
Postpartum depression has been associated with negative parenting skills such as less play, lower responsivity, negative discipline, and verbal abuse (Lovejoy et al., 2000). If these parenting behaviors remain frequent and are persistent, they can impact a child’s emotional development by internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors learned from the parent (Denham, 1998; Zhou et al., 2002). Linking Postpartum Depression with Parental Intrusiveness Postpartum depression plays an important role in shaping the development of a child. Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses to emerge during pregnancy and the perinatal period (Kimmel, 2020). Harris et al. (2018) found that mothers who experience greater psychological distress may be less confident in their parenting skills. This lack of confidence can result in a mother being less intrusive regarding mother-infant interactions (Field, 2010). The Current Study The current study examines the relationship between postpartum depression (i.e., depression and anxiety) and parental intrusiveness within the mother-child relationship. We plan to expand upon previous literature by focusing on the effect parental intrusiveness has on parenting behaviors. We hypothesize that higher degrees of parental intrusiveness has on parenting behaviors. We
