The impact of maternal depressive symptoms and child

The gap

Evidence profile

Stated in the abstract and cells future research and cells research gap sections of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2006 and 2026, spanning 6 journals. Those papers have been cited 337 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 8 representative gaps

• Maternal sensitivity and behaviour problems in young children with developmental delay (2006) · Infant and Child Development · cited 18× · doi

  Previous research has established links between maternal sensitivity and behaviour problems in typically developing children, but no studies have examined maternal sensitivity in the development of behaviour problems in children with developmental delay.

  generalstated in abstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: maternal sensitivity behaviour problems children previous established links typically developing examined development developmental delay
• The role of maternal responsiveness in predicting infant affect during the still face paradigm with infants born very low birth weight (2008) · Infant Mental Health Journal · cited 25× · doi

  Future research is warranted to determine how these findings relate to infants' stress reactions in naturalistic settings and if relationship-focused interventions may reverse infant negative emotionality, enhance positive emotionality, and thereby improve self-regulation and longer term social and cognitive developmental outcomes in medically at-risk infants.

  generalstated in abstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: infants emotionality future warranted determine relate stress reactions naturalistic settings relationship focused interventions reverse infant
• Prenatal Emotion Dysregulation, Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, and Mindfulness Predict Toddler Socioemotional Development (2026) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi

  Future research should examine the relationship between prenatal maternal emotion dysregulation and toddler socioemotional development at other ages. - Future research should investigate the mechanisms by which prenatal maternal emotion dysregulation influences toddler socioemotional development. - Future research should develop and test interventions aimed at promoting healthy socioemotional development in toddlers.

  generalstated in cells future researchevidence 5/5
  Keywords: future research examine relationship between prenatal maternal emotion
• Biological and environmental initial conditions shape the trajectories of cognitive and social‐emotional development across the first years of life (2008) · Developmental Science · cited 145× · doi

  Human development is thought to evolve from the dynamic interchange of biological dispositions and environmental provisions; yet the effects of specific biological and environmental birth conditions on the trajectories of cognitive and social-emotional growth have rarely been studied.

  generalstated in abstractevidence 4/5
  Keywords: biological environmental human development thought evolve dynamic interchange dispositions provisions effects specific birth conditions trajectories
• A Systematic Review: The Role of Parent-Child Relationship and Parental Emotional Socialization on Children’s Emotion Regulation (2026) · Buletin Psikologi · doi

  Future studies should examine the interrelation between parent-child relationship, parental emotional socialization, and children's emotion regulation in more depth. - Future studies should investigate the impact of parent-child relationship and parental emotional socialization on children's emotion regulation in different cultural contexts.

  generalstated in cells future researchevidence 4/5
  Keywords: future studies examine interrelation between parent-child relationship parental
• Prenatal Emotion Dysregulation, Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, and Mindfulness Predict Toddler Socioemotional Development (2026) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi

  Little is known about early experiences that shape socioemotional functioning during this period of plasticity. - The relationship between prenatal maternal emotion dysregulation and toddler socioemotional development is not well understood. - The moderating role of maternal mindfulness in this relationship is not well understood.

  generalstated in cells research gapevidence 4/5
  Keywords: little known about early experiences shape socioemotional functioning
• Mother-Child Dyadic Emotional Responses in Everyday Life: Moderation by Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Child Negative Emotionality (2026) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi

  The impact of maternal depressive symptoms and child negative emotionality on emotion socialization is not well understood. - Prior research has not examined mother-child emotional responses in everyday life using ecological momentary assessments.

  generalstated in cells research gapevidence 3/5
  Keywords: impact maternal depressive symptoms child negative emotionality emotion
• Associations of maternal and paternal antenatal mood with offspring anxiety disorder at age 18 years (2015) · Journal of Affective Disorders · cited 149× · doi

  OBJECTIVE: Maternal antenatal depression and anxiety are associated with increased risk of childhood behavioural and emotional problems in offspring; it remains unclear to what extent this is due to a maternal biological impact on foetal development.

  generalstated in abstractevidence 2/5
  Keywords: maternal objective antenatal depression anxiety associated increased risk childhood behavioural emotional problems offspring remains unclear

Questions about this gap