Lisa C. Milne

Long term developmental impact of social withdrawal in infants

The aim of this study was to follow-up infants who were assessed in early infancy, at approximately 6 months of age, to determine the developmental impact of social withdrawal at approximately 30 months of age. Infants were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Third Edition, and the mothers complete the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), Second Edition-Parent Rating Scale-Preschool form. Significant negative correlations were found between infant social withdrawal and Cognitive and Language scales of the Bayley Scales, and the Social and Communication scales of the BASC. Significant positive correlations were found between the infant social withdrawal and later higher scores on Atypicality and Attention scales. These results provide support for the use of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale as a measure of infant social withdrawal, and its association with later development and behavior.

Modifiable partner factors associated with perinatal depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Perinatal distress is a significant public health problem that adversely impacts the individual and their family. The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify factors that partners can modify to protect each other from developing perinatal depression and anxiety. METHOD In accordance with the PRISMA statement, we reviewed the risk and protective factors associated with perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms that partners can potentially modify without professional assistance (PROSPERO reference CRD42014007524). Participants were new or expectant parents aged 16 years or older. The partner factors were sub-grouped into themes (e.g., instrumental support) based on a content analysis of the scale items and measure descriptions. A series of meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the pooled effect sizes of associations. RESULTS We included 120 publications, reporting 245 associations with depression and 44 with anxiety. Partner factors with sound evidence that they protect against both perinatal depression and anxiety are: emotional closeness and global support. Partner factors with a sound evidence base for depression only are communication, conflict, emotional and instrumental support, and relationship satisfaction. LIMITATIONS This review is limited by the lack of generalizability to single parents and the inability to systematically review moderators and mediators, or control for baseline symptoms. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that future prevention programs targeting perinatal depression and anxiety should aim to enhance relationship satisfaction, communication, and emotional closeness, facilitate instrumental and emotional support, and minimize conflict between partners.

Effects of infant and maternal sensory processing on infant fussing, crying, and sleep

This study investigated the effects of infant and maternal sensory processing on sleep, fussing, and crying in a sample of 55 firstborn, 4- to 7-month-old infants and their mothers. Mothers completed self-report questionnaires to assess maternal and infant sensory processing styles and a 4-day diary of infant behavior, including sleep, fussing, and crying. Higher levels of infant Sensation Avoiding were associated with less sleep, more fussing, and more crying whereas higher levels of Sensory Sensitivity were associated with less sleep and more fussing. The positive association between infant Sensation Avoiding and crying was strengthened by lower levels of Low Registration in mothers. The effect of infant Sensory Sensitivity on reducing total sleep also was strengthened by lower levels of maternal Low Registration. Assessment of infant sensory processing as well as the moderating effect of maternal sensory processing on the relationship between infant sensory processing and infant regulatory capacities need to be considered when assessing and designing interventions for families in which infant regulation is problematic.

Rorschach Comprehensive System Data for a Sample of 128 Adult Nonpatients From Australia

This article examines data collected for the study by Greenway and Milne (2001), which investigated the association between the Capacity for Control and Stress Tolerance cluster of the Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 1995) and the ability of individuals to take control of their internal states—emotional, cognitive and those related to their actions and reactions. The data consisted of the Rorschach protocols of 128 participants in an urban, community sample, collected by graduate students in the second year of a masters degree in counseling psychology. All of these students had been trained thoroughly in administering the Rorschach and had experience in practicing psychological assessment and counseling for between 8 and 11 months in professional settings. The exclusion criteria are described and the interrater reliability statistics for several CS variables as well as descriptive statistics are presented.

Partners to Parents: development of an online intervention for enhancing partner support and preventing perinatal depression and anxiety

ABSTRACT Objective: Couples-based interventions to prevent perinatal depression and anxiety are needed to optimise parental well-being and infant mental health. Current interventions are limited by their focus on maternal mental health, postnatal outcomes, and a reliance on professionals for their delivery. This article describes the development of Partners to Parents (http://www.partnerstoparents.org), an online intervention for preventing perinatal depression and anxiety focused on enhancing partner support. Method: Individual usability testing sessions were conducted with 12 parents in the perinatal period (7 women and 5 men) to assess the quality of the website. A deductive coding scheme was applied using NVivo 10 to identify comments relating to system and content quality of the website, as well as positive and negative comments. Results: The results of the usability testing yielded more than 250 comments on system and content quality, potential barriers to accessing the website, and suggestions for improvement. This feedback was used to update the design of the intervention. Discussion: The usability testing sessions suggested that the majority of the mothers and fathers involved perceived the website to be a useful new resource. Consultation with potential users of the website enabled refinement of the content and design of the Partners to Parents website.

Maternal crying and postpartum distress: the moderating role of partner support

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate maternal crying as a signal of distress and request for support in the postpartum period. Background: The development of postpartum mental illness may be prevented if spouses can recognise their partner’s distress and respond supportively. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of primiparous mothers (N =137) was conducted to determine whether partner support moderates the association between maternal crying frequency and postpartum depression, anxiety and stress symptom severity. Results: Regression analyses indicated that, as hypothesised, women who reported more frequent crying and low partner support reported higher levels of depression. Conversely, women who reported frequent crying in the context of high partner support reported lower levels of depression symptoms. The expected moderation effect was not present in the analyses examining postpartum anxiety and stress symptoms as outcome variables. Conclusion: In keeping with the well-established finding that partner support is a protective factor for postpartum mood problems, the results indicated that the presence of a supportive partner moderates the association between crying and depression.