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Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we analyzed individual developmental trajectories of disruptive behavior problems between ages 3.5 to 6.0 years for 183 children of adolescent mothers. We examined how the level of problem behavior (intercept) and the rate of change over time (slope) are influenced by child's sex, mother's depression/anxiety symptoms, and mother's use of negative control for regulating child behavior. On average, disruptive behavior decreased from age 3.5 to 6.0. Child sex and maternal depression/anxiety related to the level of behavior problems but not to the rate of change. Boys and children of more depressed/anxious mothers exhibited higher levels of disruptive behavior. Maternal negative control was associated with both level of disruptive behavior and rate of change, and negative control mediated the effects of maternal depression/anxiety. Greater negative control corresponded to higher levels of behavior problems and no reduction in their display over time. Child race moderated effects of negative control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study in which frontal and parietal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded from 27 infants aged 11-17 months (13 of whose mothers reported elevated depressive symptoms) during baseline and emotion-eliciting conditions. Comparisons between infants of nonsymptomatic mothers and infants of symptomatic mothers; Group differences; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion.

We compared the parenting behavior of children of alcoholics (COAs) and non-COAs within a sample of adolescent mothers. COAs and their children showed dyadic behaviors that were less problematic than those of their peers on mother-child teaching interactions at 1 year of age, mother-child interactions during structured play at pre-school age and child attachment behavior at pre-school age. COAs reported feeling relatively more rejection as compared to love from the alcoholic parent, but this was not related to their own parenting scores. Similar to other research, COAs reported more historical life stress, more family disruption and more drug use compared to non-COAs, but these measures also were not related to parenting scores. These results suggest that, although adolescent mothers are at risk for parenting difficulties compared to adult mothers, adolescent COAs do not necessarily encounter more problems in parenting their own children compared to other adolescent mothers.