Russell Sophie, Bird Amy L, Waldie Karen, Peterson Elizabeth, Morton Susan M B, Atatoa Carr Polly E, Salmon Karen, Reese Elaine
School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Dev Psychopathol. 2025 May;37(2):1068-1082. doi: 10.1017/S0954579424000919. Epub 2024 May 22.
To test the transmission of mental health difficulties from mother to child, we examined mediation through emotion reminiscing conversations and child language. Maternal depression symptoms were measured at 9 months post-partum, and child mental health outcomes were measured at age 8 years. Emotion reminiscing conversations between 1,234 mother-child pairs (624 boys, 610 girls) were recorded as part of a large, diverse, longitudinal cohort . The 1,234 reminiscing conversations were transcribed and coded for maternal elaboration and emotion resolution quality (mother and child). The coded reminiscing variables did not mediate the pathway from maternal depression to child mental health outcomes; however, each maternal reminiscing variable together with child language skill serially mediated the relationship from maternal depression symptoms to child-reported anxiety and depression symptoms, and parent-reported child externalizing symptoms. Language as a skill and it's use as a tool for making shared meaning from past events are highlighted as possible mechanisms for the intergenerational transmission of mental health difficulties. These findings point to potential opportunities for early interventions, including prevention of and support for postnatal depression, family intervention in reminiscing training, and supporting child language development.
为了测试心理健康问题从母亲到孩子的传递情况，我们通过情感回忆对话和儿童语言来检验中介作用。在产后9个月测量母亲的抑郁症状，在孩子8岁时测量其心理健康结果。作为一个大型、多样的纵向队列研究的一部分，记录了1234对母婴（624名男孩，610名女孩）之间的情感回忆对话。对这1234次回忆对话进行了转录，并对母亲的阐述和情感解决质量（母亲和孩子）进行了编码。编码后的回忆变量并未介导从母亲抑郁到孩子心理健康结果的路径；然而，每个母亲回忆变量与儿童语言技能一起，依次介导了从母亲抑郁症状到孩子报告的焦虑和抑郁症状，以及父母报告的孩子外化症状之间的关系。语言作为一种技能及其作为从过去事件中产生共同意义的工具的作用，被强调为心理健康问题代际传递的可能机制。这些发现指出了早期干预的潜在机会，包括预防和支持产后抑郁、在回忆训练中进行家庭干预以及支持儿童语言发展。
