Maternal Depression, Reward Processing, and Parenting Effects on Child Internalizing Risk

Funder: Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation
Administered in: College of the Liberal Arts

Abstract:

Aims/hypotheses: Maternal depression is a well-established risk factor for development of internalizing symptoms in offspring, yet factors linked with intergenerational risk for internalizing symptoms remain unclear. Blunted maternal reward responsiveness, measured via indices such as electroencephalogram (EEG), has emerged as a promising neurobiological mechanism that may undermine parenting behaviors during early childhood, a sensitive developmental period linked with intergenerational risk for internalizing symptoms. The proposed study leverages an ongoing longitudinal investigation of offspring with depressed mothers to test a novel neurobehavioral model in which maternal reward responsiveness and maternal depression shape maternal positive parenting behaviors and, in turn, predict internalizing symptoms in offspring. In prior work, I demonstrated that social reward responsiveness, indexed by the reward positivity (RewP) event-related potential component, acts as a moderator of associations between maternal perceived bonding with infants and depressive symptoms in postpartum women. This suggests maternal reward responsiveness may be a promising neural measure of maternal bonding and depression. The proposed study extends this work into early childhood by examining how maternal reward responsiveness and depression history shape positive parenting behaviors, and in turn, predict trajectories of internalizing symptoms in offspring. Specific Aim 1: To examine if established neurophysiological measures of reward responsiveness are associated with less observed positive maternal parenting behaviors in the laboratory, particularly among mothers with a history of depression. Hypothesis 1: Blunted maternal neurophysiological measures will be associated with less observed positive maternal parenting behaviors, with these associations being strongest among mothers with a history of depression. Specific Aim 2: To evaluate if established neurophysiological measures of reward responsiveness similarly predict less maternal perceived positive parenting behaviors via ecological momentary assessments (EMA), particularly among mothers with a history of depression. Hypothesis 2: Blunted maternal neurophysiological measures will be associated with less self-reported maternal perceived positive parenting behavior, with these associations being strongest among mothers with a history of depression. Specific Aim 3: To test if positive parenting behavior, both laboratory-based and EMA, indirectly influences associations between maternal neurophysiological measures of reward responsiveness and child internalizing symptoms. Hypothesis 3: Maternal positive parenting behaviors will exert an indirect effect on associations between maternal neurophysiological measures with greater child internalizing symptoms, with this effect being strongest among mothers with a history of depression. Design: Mothers complete measures at baseline, as well as one- and two-year follow-ups. Mothers complete an EEG, mother-child dyad activities, and EMA at one year follow-up. Methods: This study leverages an ongoing study of 225 mother–child dyads (ages 4–6 years; half with maternal depression history) with additional methods. First, mothers complete maternal and child diagnostic assessments and maternal EEG-based measures of reward responsiveness in receipt of monetary and social rewards. Second, parenting environments will be characterized by laboratory-based observations of positive maternal parenting behavior as well as bi-daily EMA for seven days on maternal perceived positive parenting behavior. Child internalizing symptoms will be reassessed. Anticipated outcomes: Integrating neural, behavioral, and real-world assessments allows identification of potential neurobehavioral pathways through which maternal depression increases offspring internalizing risk. Findings will inform targeted prevention strategies aimed at interrupting intergenerational transmission of risk and provide data for future longitudinal studies of maternal reward circuitry, parenting behavior, and child mental health.