Citation
Maselko, Joanna; Kubzansky, Laura D.; Lipsitt, Lewis P.; & Buka, Stephen L. (2011). Mother's Affection at 8 Months Predicts Emotional Distress in Adulthood. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 65(7), 621-625. PMCID: PMC3118641Abstract
BACKGROUND: Long-standing theory suggests that quality of the mother's (or primary caregiver's) interaction with a child is a key determinant of the child's subsequent resilience or vulnerability and has implications for health in adulthood. However, there is a dearth of longitudinal data with both objective assessments of nurturing behaviour during infancy and sustained follow-up ascertaining the quality of adult functioning.METHODS: We used data from the Providence, Rhode Island birth cohort of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (mean age 34 at follow-up, final N=482) to conduct a prospective study of the association between objectively measured affective quality of the mother-infant interaction and adult mental health. Infant-mother interaction quality was rated by an observer when infants were 8 months old, and adult emotional functioning was assessed from the Symptom Checklist-90, capturing both specific and general types of distress.
RESULTS: High levels of maternal affection at 8 months were associated with significantly lower levels of distress in adult offspring (1/2 standard deviation; b=-4.76, se=1.7, p<0.01). The strongest association was with the anxiety subscale. Mother's affection did not seem to be on the pathway between lower parental SES and offspring distress.
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that early nurturing and warmth have long-lasting positive effects on mental health well into adulthood.
URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2009.097873Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2011Journal Title
Journal of Epidemiology and Community HealthAuthor(s)
Maselko, JoannaKubzansky, Laura D.
Lipsitt, Lewis P.
Buka, Stephen L.