Journal
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 31, Issue 1, Pages 50-64Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsj021
Keywords
prenatal alcohol exposure; child depression
Categories
Funding
- NIAAA NIH HHS [U24 AA11899] Funding Source: Medline
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM [U24AA011899] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
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Objective This study examined the association between prenatal alcohol exposure and child depressive symptoms, and the mediating effects of maternal and child characteristics. Methods Participants were 42 children aged 4-5 years and their biological mothers. Prenatal alcohol consumption was assessed by self-report of maximum drinks per drinking occasion. The Pictorial Depression Scale (PDS) measured child depressive symptoms. Mother-child interactions were assessed using the family interaction puzzle task. Results Structural equation modeling indicated that prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with more negative child affect. In turn, mothers of more negative children were less emotionally connected to their children, and those children had higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Results could not be explained by current maternal drinking patterns or maternal depression. Conclusions Study findings highlight the importance of examining prenatal alcohol exposure as a risk factor in the prediction of childhood-onset depression and the environmental mechanisms that may mediate that relationship.
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