The impact of maternal depression and anxiety on preschool children

Includes bibliographical references (pages 52-55)The purpose of this study was to examine maternal anxiety and depression and their subsequent effects on behavior patterns in children. Maternal anxiety was assessed by the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory, while maternal depression was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory. Child behavior patterns were assessed by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The subjects in this study were 71 mother-child dyads in which all children were between 3 ?? and 6 years old. The subjects for the depression variable and were divided into three groups, clinic depressed (n=25), clinic non-depressed (n=23), and the comparison group (n=23). The subjects for the anxiety variable were divided into two groups, high anxiety (n=31), and low anxiety (n=40). Primary results were obtained utilizing one way between subjects analyses of variance. The children of mothers who were in the clinic depressed group gave their children the highest mean scores on the Internalizing and Externalizing scales and total behavior problems on the CBCL. Similar results were obtained for children of mothers in the high anxious group. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the need for measuring maternal as well as child adjustment