A Mother's Post-Partum Depression

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Numerous studies have been conducted that indicate mothers with depression prior to birth and after birth can affect infant development. These include cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional aspects. This paper will be examining two articles with similar methodologies and various responses displayed in the participants. Both articles take on similar approaches; however, one article examines how less-competent mothers with depression, negatively influences child behavior and the latter takes on the approach that maternal depression is a psychological response to economic pressures leading to negative responses to a child (Newland, Crnic, Cox & Mills-Koonce, 2013, p. 96). Wang and Dix (2013) examine the levels of depression and differences of behavior in depressed mothers and how this further influences a child’s development. This article found that children with depressed mothers that are highly competent and are able to do tasks efficiently and successfully may develop just as well as children with non-depressed mothers (Wang and Dix., 2013, p. 893). Alternatively, another article examines a variety of maternal psychological symptoms arising from early economic pressures and later parenting behaviors (Newland et al., 2013, p. 96). Furthermore, Newland et al. (2013) suggests that as a result of lower socioeconomic status, both depression and anxiety play a negative role in parenting behaviors (p. 96). Overall, this study suggests that economic hardships and pressures have an indirect influence on parents’ caregiving.
Methodologies Used
Both studies consisted of mother-child interaction conducted at four different time intervals within a three-year period (birth to age three); however, their participants were gathered from ...

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... effects of early child development. As the methodologies are both similar, extending and observing the study with the longitudinal group to later childhood and adolescence would provide a relevant picture of overall childhood development. As both articles suggest that the first three years of life are critical for development, there may be areas where the child could potentially benefit in later years (that they lacked in the first three years), regardless of maternal depression or other psychological responses. I would include doing follow-ups once every year thereafter (till the end of adolescence). These follow-ups would include observing mother-child interaction and working on age appropriate tasks up until adolescence. From this, we can observe the broader effects of maternal depression on the cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional aspects of a child.

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