Post-partum depressive symptoms and child behavior: The mediational role of maternal mind-mindedness

ABSTRACT

The present study’s first aim is to verify whether depressive symptoms, measured at 87-hours and at 3-months post-partum, are associated with maternal mind-mindedness (the proclivity to treat infants as individuals with minds) and children’s behavior (at 17 months, T3). The second aim is to investigate, at T3, whether maternal mind-mindedness mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and children’s behavior. 46 mother–infant dyads participated in the study. No correlations are found among early depressive symptoms, mind-mindedness, and children’s behaviors. At T3, impaired mind-mindedness mediates the effects of cognitive depressive symptoms on children’s internalizing behaviors. Somatic symptoms, conjointly with impaired mind-mindedness, predicted externalizing behaviors.