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PubMed1983

At risk for depression: a study of young mothers.

A sample of 75 mothers between 15 and 19 years of age was used to investigate the relationship between depression and the maternal behavior of young mothers. Depression, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression (CES-D) Scale, varied with marital status, education, and maternal age and was related to hostile, indifferent and rejecting patterns of mother-child interaction. Levels of depression increased in relation to the amount of stress faced by the young mother and decreased when the mother was involved in a supportive social network.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Premature termination from treatment among children referred for antisocial behavior.

The present study examined differences between children and families who complete treatment versus those who terminated prematurely. Children (N = 81, ages 7-13 years) referred to outpatient treatment for severe antisocial behavior and their families participated. It was predicted that families who terminate treatment prematurely would show greater dysfunction in four domains: child severity and breadth of antisocial behavior, maternal stress, maternal psychopathology, and socioeconomic disadvantage. The results indicated that among cases who terminate treatment prematurely children evinced more severe conduct disorder symptoms and more delinquent behaviors; mothers reported greater stress from their relations with the child, their own role functioning, and life events; and families were at greater socioeconomic disadvantage than those who remained in treatment. The implications of the present findings for the design and implementation of treatment of antisocial children and their families are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Primary social relationships influence the development of the hypothalamic--pituitary--adrenal axis in the rat.

In the developing rodent, there is a period from about days 4 to 14 when the adrenal response to stress is either minimal or non-existent. This has been designated as the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP). Numerous experiments have demonstrated that maternal factors are critical for the regulation of the pup's hypothalamic--pituitary--adrenal (HPA) axis and the maintenance of the SHRP. Following 24 h of maternal deprivation, the neonatal rat shows elevated basal levels of corticosterone (CORT) and exhibits a robust CORT and ACTH response to mild stress. Further, c-fos mRNA in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is enhanced following stress in deprived pups. At least three aspects of maternal behavior play a role in the regulation of the HPA axis during development. Tactile stimulation appears capable of inhibiting most of the brain-related changes that occur following maternal deprivation. Feeding is essential for maintaining the adrenal-unresponsive and reduces the sensitivity of the adrenal to ACTH. Passive contact suppresses the response to stress. In the adult, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is the major neuropeptide that controls pituitary ACTH secretion. In the maternally deprived pup, CRH gene transcription is downregulated and arginine vasopressin (AVP) appears to assume the major regulatory hormone that modulates ACTH. These data all indicate that maternal factors are responsible for actively inhibiting the endocrine responses to stress postnatally. Thus, during development, most of the peripheral and central stress-responsive systems are capable of being activated. However, under conditions of normal dam-pup interactions, these responses are mostly suppressed by the dam's behavioral interaction with the pups.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Voices of clients and caregivers in a maternity home.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived health-related needs of women who spent part of their pregnancy, labor, delivery, and immediate postpartum days in a maternity residence that provided adoption placement services. The method was qualitative; semistructured interviews and content analysis were used. The authors concluded that the perceived needs of this population were essentially congruent with those of the nurse caregivers. Information and support in labor were cited as primary needs. The authors suggest that this population may significantly underestimate postpartal needs. A second finding was that these mothers seemed to express a heightened sense of joy and relief in their newborn's health, which may reflect the compressed time they have to demonstrate maternal behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Responsiveness in interactions of mothers and sons with ADHD: relations to maternal and child characteristics.

We observed mother-child interactions, at baseline, in 136 families of 7-10-year-old boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were part of a large clinical trial, the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. Independent coders rated stylistic aspects of maternal behavior and factor analyses revealed a responsiveness factor that included overall responsiveness and sensitivity to the child, warmth and acceptance, and appropriate control. We examined relations between maternal responsiveness and (a) maternal depressive symptoms and maternal childhood ADHD symptoms, and (b) boys' ADHD and conduct problem symptoms. Controlling for all other variables, maternal responsiveness displayed a unique negative association with mother-reported child conduct problems, but not with child ADHD symptoms, and also was negatively related to maternal depressive symptoms. We discuss the unique association between mother-reported child conduct problems and parenting, and note the utility of studying parenting style in families of children with ADHD. We describe the results within the framework of a transactional model.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

High vs low anxiety-related behavior rats: an animal model of extremes in trait anxiety.

In addition to their robust difference in trait anxiety, as illustrated by a variety of behavioral tests, HAB and LAB rats differ in their stress coping strategies, the former being more susceptible and vulnerable to stressor exposure and preferring more passive strategies. HAB rats of either gender show signs of a hyper-reactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, thus resembling psychiatric patients. As shown by in situ hybridization and microdialysis in freely behaving animals, both the expression and release of vasopressin in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus are higher in HAB than in LAB rats, thus contributing to the HPA axis hyperdrive. Accordingly, in HAB animals, administration of a V1 receptor antagonist normalized the pathological outcome of the dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone test and triggered behavioral changes toward reduced anxiety and active stress coping. Pharmacological validation has revealed signs of depressive-like behavior, as HAB but not LAB rats have shown more active stress coping behavior and a normalized HPA axis after treatment with paroxetine. Of interest, this antidepressant reduced the hypothalamic overexpression of vasopressin; this novel mechanism of action is likely to contribute to paroxetine effects on both behavioral and neuroendocrine parameters. Cross-mating and cross-fostering paradigms showed that the divergent emotionality in HAB vs. LAB rats is determined genetically, rather than postnatally through maternal behavior. As the behavioral and neuroendocrine phenotyping pointed to the vasopressin gene as a candidate gene critically involved in anxiety, preliminary genetic approaches have been focused on this gene, revealing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promotor area of the vasopressin gene in HAB, but not LAB rats. HAB/LAB rats are thus proving to be a unique animal model to identify and characterize neurobiological, neuroendocrine, and genetic correlates of trait anxiety, and perhaps depression, in humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Ontogeny of suckling behavior in rats prenatally exposed to alcohol.

The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on nipple attachment behavior was studied at a number of ages in rat pups whose mothers consumed liquid diets containing 35% or 0% ethanol-derived calories (EDC) or standard lab chow during pregnancy. In the first experiment, nondeprived pups were tested in groups of three (one from each of the prenatal treatment groups) for nipple attachment to an anesthetized lab chow dam. The second experiment examined the influence of the type of test dam (35% EDC, 0% EDC, or lab chow) on nipple attachment behavior. Finally, experiment three evaluated the possibility that the data from the preceeding experiments were the result of either testing the offspring in triads or alcohol-induced alterations in maternal behavior. Rat pups from all three groups reared by their biological mothers and a group of 35% EDC offspring fostered at birth to lab chow surrogate mothers were tested alone rather than in triads. The data from all three experiments clearly indicated an age-related pattern of nipple attachment behavior; the latency to attach was shortest in 6- to 12-day-old pups and increased rapidly from 13 to 21 days of age. Prenatal exposure to alcohol significantly increased the latency to attach to the nipple and the rank order of attachment at the younger ages (three to nine days of age) but not in the older animals. Also, the prenatal effect of alcohol was independent of the type of dam to which testing was conducted, the social interaction involved in testing triads, or fostering procedures. These results suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure can interfere with the development of normal suckling behavior, which might influence normal growth.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Castration reduces male testosterone, estradiol, and territorial aggression, but not paternal behavior in biparental dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli).

Biparental male hamsters, Phodopus campbelli, act as midwives during the birth of their litter and are highly responsive to an experimentally displaced pup. They also have high peripheral concentrations of estradiol, a hormone with known roles in maternal behavior. Surgical castration during the gestation of their first litter was used to investigate the source of that estradiol and the functional role of testicular sex steroids in paternal responsiveness. In Experiment I, castration reduced both testosterone and estradiol concentrations, confirming that the testes were the primary source of estradiol. However, neither paternal responsiveness nor multiple measures of reproductive success were altered by the castration. Aggression directed towards an intruder, however, was reduced by castration. In Experiment II, removal of prior experience with birth or pups also failed to alter paternal responsiveness in castrated males. Although the present results do not preclude a role for local estradiol synthesis in the brain, results do not support an association between high circulating estradiol in males and their paternal behavior.

Aggression↗
PubMed1995

[The individualization of care practices for twins during the first year].

BACKGROUND: Mothers of twins have some difficulties to individualize their child-raising activities during the first year. This study was aimed to determine factors influencing such activities. POPULATION AND METHODS: Thirty-seven pairs of twins born after 36 weeks of gestation and weighing more than 2,000 g were included in the study. Relationships between the parents and their children were studied from questionnaires concerning activities during the first trimester and the end of the first year of age. Each item concerning organization of meals and sleeping was graded 1 to 3 according to the degree of individualization of the care. Items concerning support of the mother by the father or other people were graded 1 to 3 according to the degree of this assistance. The physical and psychological status of the mother was also graded according to the presence or not of asthenia and/or depression. Home activities of the mother were also observed. RESULTS: The state of the mother during the first few months had an impact on her mothering behavior: tired or depressed mothers tend to treat the twins collectively and simultaneously. No link was found between social, paternal or general familial support and the degree of individualization in the maternal behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors can interfere with the psychological repercussions of a twin birth on the mother and subsequent psychoemotional development of children. Further studies are necessary to understand how each parent contributes to the organization of the family system.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1996

Depressed mothers: they don't always look as bad as they feel.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship of maternal depression to self-report and observational data was investigated in a sample of depressed (n = 30) and nondepressed women (n = 32) and their 3-year-old children. Depression characteristics (diagnostic subtype/remission status) were related to maternal self-report and mother-child interactions. METHOD: Mothers completed standardized questionnaires and the dyad was observed in the laboratory. Observations were rated for maternal behavior and child attachment. RESULTS: There were no differences between depressed and nondepressed groups on observational measures; depressed mothers' self-report was consistently more negative. Within the depressed group, women with more severe/chronic depression showed behavioral differences but were no different from less depressed women on self-report measures. Women in remission improved for self-report, but not for observational data. CONCLUSIONS: The consequences of maternal depression vary depending on type of depression, severity, chronicity, current mood status, and on how the impact of depression is measured.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

The culture of youth and drug abuse in some European countries.

Old patterns of education are being replaced in some European countries by the different ideological norms of the various groups composing modern society. Youth has lost the sure feeling to belong to a certain culture. Drug abuse primarily represents an attempt to get over this insecurity. In an inquiry in Swiss military schools, recruits were questioned about drug and alcohol use and cigarette smoking, and this was related to the home situation. Juveniles who do not have enough affective support in the primary group seem to be more subject to the conflicts of norms going on in our society. Three general factors seem to be responsible for the drug use among juveniles: (1) the family situation of childhood, (2) the conflicts of norms of the society in which they are involved, and (3) the milieu provocation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Employment and health-risk behaviors among pregnant adolescents.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare health-risk behaviors, maternal, and neonatal outcomes of pregnant adolescents less than 18 years old who reported employment more than 15 hours per week with those who did not report working. We hypothesized that working teens compared with nonworking adolescents would report higher rates of health-risk behaviors. METHODS: A structured interview was conducted at the first prenatal visit and the medical chart was reviewed to extract pregnancy (pregnancy-induced hypertension, preterm labor with hospitalization, and preterm delivery) and neonatal outcomes (low birthweight, small for gestational age, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit). The study was conducted at an outpatient maternal and child health clinic at a university teaching hospital. A total of 384 white (n=111), African American (n=151), and Mexican American (n=99) adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years, who initiated care between January 2, 1992, and December 31, 1994, and delivered an infant at our institution were consecutively sampled. A structured interview assessed various health-risk behaviors including age at first intercourse, substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and other illicit drug use), and number of sexual partners. Medical records were reviewed to obtain information on pregnancy complications (pregnancy-induced hypertension, preterm delivery, and preterm labor with hospitalization) and negative birth outcomes (infant birthweight and neonatal intensive care admission). RESULTS: Controlling for chronological age, logistic regression analyses found that adolescents reporting employment at their first prenatal visit (n=40) compared with those not employed at this visit (n=331) were more likely to be characterized by school enrollment, higher economic status, partner employment, partner alcohol use, and a longer relationship with the father of their baby. Multivariate logistic regression found that employed females were 4.6 times more likely to deliver a small-for-gestational-age infant. CONCLUSIONS: Employment reported at the time of the first prenatal visit does not appear to be associated with an increase in health-risk behaviors or obstetric complications, but a relationship between working more than 15 hours and small-for-gestational-age delivery was detected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Consequences of removing the vomeronasal organ.

In the last decade, research in our laboratories has focused on the effects of deafferentation of the mammalian chemosensory vomeronasal organ (VNX). Many different assays have been conducted and the results of some are briefly reviewed in this contribution, including the effects of VNX on neuroanatomical assessments using histochemistry (lectin binding) and immunohistochemistry (LHRH), male mouse and prairie vole ultrasonic vocalizations and hormone surges in response to cues from females, male mouse courtship and sexual behavior, territorial marking and inter-male aggression, the production of a puberty-altering substance found in mice, activation of reproduction in female voles (who generally do not exhibit estrous cycles) and maternal behaviors by female mice, including aggression directed toward intruder males. In some instances, the otherwise detrimental effects of VNX can be overcome by experience prior to deafferentation, especially in assays that are dependent upon expressions of behavior. In other situations, experience may have little impact on amelioration of the effects of VNX. The essential conclusions of this work focus our attention on reproductive physiology and behavior and a role for the vomeronasal organ in the perception of pheromones that modulate these functions.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The impact of birth order on mother-infant interactions in preterm and sick infants.

Maternal-infant interaction patterns were observed for high-and low-risk, first-, and later-born infants at 3 months of age. The high-risk subjects included healthy preterm infants, sick preterm infants, and sick full-term infants. "Sickness" at birth was defined as respiratory distress or birth asphyxia. The low-risk group consisted of healthy full-term infants. The subjects were divided into first-born and later-born groups. Birth order was expected to interact with prematurity and illness in affecting maternal behavior. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that this was the case; birth order had a significant impact among the high-risk but not the low-risk subjects. First-born preterm infants received more overall maternal stimulation than later-born preterms. Sick first-borns had more responsive mothers than sick later-born infants. The results suggest that high-risk later-born infants may be at greater risk as a result of both birth trauma and less optimal maternal interaction patterns.

Asphyxia Neonatorum↗
PubMed1999

Colostrum mediates the development of mother preference by newborn lambs.

The first sucking bouts have strong rewarding properties in the establishment of a preference for the mother by newborn lambs. In this study we designed an artificial teat (Experiment 1) and a method of tube feeding (Experiment 2) to investigate the role of nonnutritive sucking and colostrum intake as reinforcers in the development of this relationship (Experiment 3). In this third experiment, lambs of the control group (n=10) had free access to the udder. In the other groups they were prevented from sucking between birth and 6 h by covering the ewe's udder while lambs received one of the following treatments: access to nonnutritive teats fitted onto the mother's udder (n=12), tube fed with colostrum (n=11), or fully deprived (n=10). When tested in a two-choice test at 24 h of age, controls and lambs receiving colostrum spent significantly more time near their mother than near the alien ewe. By contrast, deprived lambs did not. Half of the lambs having access to nonnutritive teats displayed a preference for their mother; the other half chose the alien ewe. However, most lambs that were affected by the treatments displayed a preference for their mother when a second test was performed at 48 h. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that a neonatal nasogastric infusion of colostrum has the same rewarding properties as a complete sucking bout. They also provide evidence for the first time that a relationship with the dam can be established via a nutritional signal originating from the gastrointestinal sphere.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The effect of constant light on maternal physiology and behavior.

In contrast to previous findings in nonlactating rats, constant light does not disrupt maternal water or food intake. Mothers and pups in constant light, however, gained less weight than their counterparts in the light-dark cycle. While mothers did not differ in their total daily contact time or daily bout frequency, the distribution of the contact time was shifted in constant light. These data may be consistent with the idea that mothers maintain a free-running rhythm under such conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Procedure for Successfully Introducing Cesarean-delivered Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta) Infants to Their Mothers.

To reduce the high rate of maternal rejection after cesarean delivery, we developed a protocol for introducing cesarean-delivered rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) infants to their mothers. The new protocol was used with 14 pregnant females and the resulting infants. After an early morning cesarean section, the mother was covered with a clean towel and returned to her cage. Infants received standard nursery care until the first introduction attempt (after the mother had fully recovered from general anesthesia). The infant was rubbed with maternal blood-soaked laparotomy pads that were saved from surgery, then the infant was placed into the mother's cage. If the mother did not allow the infant to suckle within an hour of introduction, the towel placed with the mother after surgery and the infant were placed together in a nursery cage overnight. Daily attempts to introduce the infant (and the towel) continued until it was accepted or maternal behavior precluded further attempts. Within 3 days after surgery, 72% of the females had accepted their infants. All the females who accepted their infants had previous vaginal deliveries and had successfully reared at least one other infant. Our experience suggests that initial maternal rejection does not mean the mother will never accept the infant and that multiple introduction attempts should be made before nursery-rearing an infant.

Journal Article↗