Bugental Daphne Blunt, Beaulieu David, Schwartz Alex
Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
Infant Behav Dev. 2008 Jan;31(1):51-61. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2007.06.003. Epub 2007 Jul 23.
Comparisons were made of differences in the hormonal sensitivity of preterm versus full-term infants to maternal depression, as reflected in children's cortisol levels. In Study 1 (N=25), a comparison was made between preterm versus healthy full-term children. In Study 2 (N=80), a comparison was made between preterm infants and full-term infants with mild or moderate medical problems. Preterm infants were found to be highly reactive to maternal depression (as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory). That is, they demonstrated higher cortisol levels when paired with depressed mothers and lower cortisol levels when paired with non-depressed mothers. No equivalent effects were found for children who were full-term, even when they had experienced other medical problems at birth. It was concluded that premature infants are exceptionally sensitive to the "emotional climate" in their home environment. As a result, they may manifest very different hormonal outcomes--with implications for their later development.
通过儿童的皮质醇水平反映，对早产婴儿与足月婴儿对母亲抑郁的激素敏感性差异进行了比较。在研究1（N = 25）中，对早产儿童与健康足月儿童进行了比较。在研究2（N = 80）中，对早产婴儿与有轻度或中度健康问题的足月婴儿进行了比较。结果发现，早产婴儿对母亲的抑郁情绪反应强烈（通过贝克抑郁量表测量）。也就是说，与抑郁母亲配对时，他们的皮质醇水平较高；与非抑郁母亲配对时，皮质醇水平较低。对于足月儿童，即使他们在出生时经历过其他健康问题，也未发现类似的影响。研究得出结论，早产婴儿对家庭环境中的“情感氛围”异常敏感。因此，他们可能会表现出非常不同的激素变化结果，这对他们日后的发育会产生影响。
