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Depressed fathers' stereotyping of infants labeled “depressed”
Author(s) -
Hart Sybil,
Field Tiffany,
Jones Nancy,
Stern Marilyn
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0355(199724)18:4<436::aid-imhj9>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , social competence , depression (economics) , cognition , competence (human resources) , clinical psychology , psychiatry , social change , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics , economic growth
This study investigated whether depressed and nondepressed fathers stereotyped infants labeled “depressed” and how they viewed their own infants. Twenty‐five fathers (12 nondepressed, 13 depressed) of 4‐month old infants rated their infants' psychological, social and physical attributes on the Infant Stereotyping Scale (ISS). They then rated videotaped infants, labeled “normal” or “depressed”, on the ISS. Fathers rated depressed versus normal infants lower on sociability, social behavior, and cognitive competence. Depressed versus nondepressed fathers, rated depressed infants lower on social behavior, potency, and sociability. Depressed fathers rated their own infants lower on social behavior, potency, and cognitive competence as well as being more vulnerable. Implications of parental depression on stereotyping effects and possible risks for infants are discussed. © 1997 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health