Depressed Moms React Poorly to Stress
When the milk spills and the toys aren't put away and mom is running late for an appointment, how does she respond to her child's demand for help or attention? Does it matter if mom is a high- or low-income wage earner? Does it matter if the child is part of an intact family? Why do some mothers exhibit patience while others seem to have a short fuse?
A recent study in the Development and Psychopathology online journal examined mother responses and sought to explain them. The study involved 153 mothers, half of whom were part of low-income households and the other half representing middle- to upper-wage earners. The research team employed wireless electrocardiograph to track and examine each mother's heart rhythms while her child was exposed to mildly distressing circumstances. The researchers also spent time observing mother and child as they played and utilized a questionnaire to explore potential symptoms of depression.
The team found that mothers who had revealed depressive symptoms had a high baseline heart rate which continued to rise as they observed their toddler in distress. After the distressing event, mother and child were reunited. Mothers who had symptoms of depression exhibited greater anger, such as strong negative comments spoken in hostile tones, than mothers with no evidence of depression.
Low-income mothers were measured with low baseline heart rates and showed very little observable increases even while witnessing their toddler undergoing distress. The low-income mothers showed little interest or interaction with their children during times of play even when the children seemed to invite attention.
Under normal conditions, a person will react to stress and then recover. Most often when the human body is exposed to stress it will react in one of two ways: reactions will be heightened or the reactions will shut down. It is noteworthy that mothers who are depressed and therefore might be expected to shut down or withdraw, in fact, do the opposite. They become more angry and hostile. Mothers exposed to the chronic stress of poverty appear insensitive and even neglectful.
All of these findings dovetail with a previous study of 2,089 low-income mothers which was conducted in 2008. That study also examined mother-child interactions of those with 14-month to 3-year-old kids. The study identified the mother's level of education and literacy, along with the presence of a father in the household, as key determiners of a mother's sensitivity and support toward her distressed child.
Parenting comes with monumental "giving" requirements. Toddlers in particular ask for lots of individual attention. The healthy ability to empathize with children is a skill which is needed throughout the parenting years. Mothers who are depressed appear more likely to respond in anger to situations that really call for one-on-one attention and a heartfelt entering of the child's world while mothers living in poverty appear disinterested. In each case, continual stress impedes the mother's ability to rapidly recover and enjoy quality interactions with her child.
