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Disrupted caregiving behavior as a mediator of the relation between disrupted prenatal maternal representations and toddler social–emotional functioning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2021

Katherine L. Guyon-Harris Open the ORCID record for Katherine L. Guyon-Harris [Opens in a new window] ,
Sarah M. Ahlfs-Dunn ,
Sheri Madigan ,
Elisa Bronfman ,
Diane Benoit  and
Alissa C. Huth-Bocks
Katherine L. Guyon-Harris*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Sarah M. Ahlfs-Dunn
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
Sheri Madigan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Elisa Bronfman
Affiliation:
Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Diane Benoit
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alissa C. Huth-Bocks
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
*
Author for Correspondence: Katherine Guyon-Harris, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Department Pediatrics, 3414 5th Ave., CHOB 3rd floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; E-mail: guyonharriskl@upmc.edu
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Abstract

The development of maternal representations of the child during pregnancy guides a mother’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior toward her child. The association between prenatal representations, particularly those that are disrupted, and toddler social-emotional functioning is not well understood. The present study examined associations between disrupted prenatal representations and toddler social-emotional functioning and to test disrupted maternal behavior as a mediator of this association. Data were drawn from 109 women from a larger prospective longitudinal study (N=120) of women and their young children. Prenatal disrupted maternal representations were assessed using the Working Model of the Child Interview disrupted coding scheme, while disrupted maternal behavior was coded 12-months postpartum from mother-infant interactions. Mother-reported toddler social-emotional functioning was assessed at ages 12 and 24 months. Disrupted prenatal representations significantly predicted poorer toddler social-emotional functioning at 24 months, controlling for functioning at 12 months. Further, disrupted maternal behavior mediated the relation between disrupted prenatal representations and toddler social-emotional problems. Screening for disrupted representations during pregnancy is needed to facilitate referrals to early intervention and decrease the likelihood of toddler social-emotional problems.

Keywords

disruptedmaternal behaviorprenatal representationstoddler social-emotional functioningtransmission
Type
Regular Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , August 2022 , pp. 755 - 763
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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