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Developmental patterns in the infants and young children of mentally ill mothers
Author(s) -
Stott Frances M.,
Musick Judith S.,
Clark Roseanne,
Cohler Bertram J.
Publication year - 1983
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 - 10.1002/1097-0355(198323)4:3<217::aid-imhj2280040306>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - psychology , affect (linguistics) , mentally ill , mood , developmental psychology , coping (psychology) , interpersonal communication , social skills , mental health , clinical psychology , psychiatry , mental illness , social psychology , communication
The development of children (ages 2 to 49 months) of mentally ill mothers was compared with that of children of matched “well” mothers. The children of mentally ill mothers scored lower on measures of intelligence and had a less adaptive coping style in the testing situation. The children of “well” mothers were more socially competent; that is, they sought the attention of adults more often, responded more to social initiatives, displayed more positive affect, and sent clearer signals. Clinical data on the children of mentally ill mothers complemented the research data, indicating that these children displayed problems in the areas of interpersonal relationships, verbal‐conceptual functioning, attentional skills, and mood and affect.