Journal article

Maternal perinatal social support and infant social-emotional problems and competencies: a longitudinal cross-cohort replication study

M Schuijers, CJ Greenwood, JE McIntosh, G Youssef, P Letcher, JA Macdonald, E Spry, G Le Bas, S Teague, E Biden, E Elliott, S Allsop, L Burns, CA Olsson, DM Hutchinson

Archives of Women S Mental Health | Published : 2024

Abstract

Purpose: Maternal perinatal social support is theorised to promote offspring social-emotional development, yet few studies have prospectively examined this relationship. Findings may inform preventative intervention efforts, to support a healthy start to emotional life. Methods: This study examined whether maternal social support perinatally predicts infant social-emotional development at 12 months of age in two longitudinal cohort studies: The Australian Temperament Project (ATP) (n = 1,052 mother-infant dyads [653 mothers, Mage_at_birth = 32.03, 88% Australian-born; 1,052 infants, 52% girls]) and The Triple B Pregnancy Cohort Study (Triple B) (n = 1,537 dyads [1,498 mothers, Mage_at_birth ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by University of Otago


Funding Acknowledgements

The ATP and ATPG3 studies are located at The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne and are a collaboration between Deakin University, The University of Melbourne, The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The Australian Institute of Family Studies, The University of New South Wales, The University of Otago (New Zealand), and the Royal Children's Hospital. We acknowledge all collaborators who have contributed to the ATP, particularly Professor Ann Sanson, Margot Prior, Frank Oberklaid, and Dr Diana Smart. The Triple B cohort is led by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University, and the School of Psychology at Deakin University, in collaboration with the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. We acknowledge the hospitals and antenatal clinics for their assistance with recruitment, all research staff and students who assisted with collection of the data, and study investigators not included as authors. Both cohorts sincerely thank the participating families for their time and invaluable contribution to each study.