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Children
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Advances in Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Infant Sensory Development
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Advances in Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Infant Sensory Development

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neonatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 6 December 2024 | Viewed by 3011

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nicki L. Aubuchon-Endsley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
Interests: women’s health; developmental psychobiology; perinatal psychology; health equity
Dr. Bryan Gee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Occupational Therapy, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, UT 84606, USA
Interests: sensory processing; infant development; co-occupation; sensory-based interventions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Maternal perinatal mental health plays a robust causal role in shaping infant development, which predicts a host of short-term and long-term outcomes regarding health and functioning. Among the various types of development, sensory development has received relatively less empirical investigation. However, contemporary research suggests that sensory processing is associated with important maternal (e.g., prenatal and postnatal anxiety and depression symptom severity), infant (e.g., sleep quality and other forms of development), and maternal–infant (e.g., duration and frequency of breastfeeding) variables. Additionally, sensory symptoms (i.e., reactivity to sensory input and unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment) constitute one criterion for autism spectrum disorder, suggesting that they may be an important research target in understanding neurodevelopmental disorders. Therefore, on behalf of the Children Editorial Office, we are pleased to invite you to submit research papers and review articles to disseminate vital information about this topic.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: prenatal, postnatal, or perinatal mental health, sensory development in infancy, sensory processing in infancy, and early neurodiversity.

We look forward to reviewing your contributions.

Dr. Nicki L. Aubuchon-Endsley
Guest Editor

Dr. Bryan Gee
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • prenatal
  • postnatal
  • perinatal maternal mental health
  • sensory development in infancy
  • sensory processing in infancy
  • early neurodiversity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 268 KiB  
Article
Oxytocin Receptor Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Are Related to Maternal–Infant Co-Occupation and Infant Sensory Processing
by Nicki L. Aubuchon-Endsley, Madeline Hudson, Brittany Banh, Emma Opoku, Jason Gibbs and Bryan M. Gee
Children 2024, 11(10), 1196; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11101196 - 29 Sep 2024
Viewed by 894
Abstract
Background: Caregiver–infant reciprocity is related to infant/toddler development and health. However, there is a dearth of research on reciprocity variables like co-occupation and developmental variables such as infant/toddler sensory processing/preferences, and it is important to understand the biopsychosocial mediators of these relations. These [...] Read more.
Background: Caregiver–infant reciprocity is related to infant/toddler development and health. However, there is a dearth of research on reciprocity variables like co-occupation and developmental variables such as infant/toddler sensory processing/preferences, and it is important to understand the biopsychosocial mediators of these relations. These include novel genetic markers like maternal oxytocin receptor single-nucleotide polymorphisms (OXTR SNPs). Therefore, this study examined whether mothers carrying risk alleles for three OXTR SNPs displayed different co-occupational behaviors with their infants and whether their infants/toddlers showed different sensory processing/preferences. Methods: Data from the Infant Development and Healthy Outcomes in Mothers Study included prenatal saliva samples assayed for OXTR SNPs, 6-month postnatal behavioral observations coded for maternal–infant co-occupations (reciprocal emotionality, physicality, and intentionality), and 10-, 14-, and 18-month postnatal, maternal-reported Infant/Toddler Sensory Profiles (classified as within or outside the majority range for low registration, sensory seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensory avoiding). Results: Mothers with rs53576 risk allele A engaged in more frequent reciprocal emotionality, while those with rs2254298 risk allele A engaged in less frequent reciprocal emotionality but more frequent reciprocal intentionality. Mothers with rs53576 risk allele A had infants with 11 times greater odds of being outside of the majority range for sensation avoiding at 10 months old. Conclusions: The results converge with the literature supporting links between OXTR SNPs, caregiver reciprocity, and infant/toddler development but extend the findings to relatively novel constructs (caregiver–infant co-occupations and infant/toddler sensory processing/preferences). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Infant Sensory Development)
14 pages, 646 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Psychosocial Stress and Mental Health Disorders in Parents and Their Children in Early Childhood: Cross-Sectional Results from the SKKIPPI Cohort Study
by Julia Fricke, Marie Bolster, Katja Icke, Natalja Lisewski, Lars Kuchinke, Christiane Ludwig-Körner, Franziska Schlensog-Schuster, Thomas Reinhold, Anne Berghöfer, Stephanie Roll and Thomas Keil
Children 2024, 11(8), 920; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080920 - 30 Jul 2024
Viewed by 914
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Early childhood can be a stressful period for families with a significant impact on parents’ mental health, the child’s healthy development, and the development of a secure mother–child attachment. The goal of the cross-sectional study part of SKKIPPI was to assess the [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Early childhood can be a stressful period for families with a significant impact on parents’ mental health, the child’s healthy development, and the development of a secure mother–child attachment. The goal of the cross-sectional study part of SKKIPPI was to assess the occurrence of psychosocial stress and mental health disorders in parents as well as in their offspring in early childhood in three German regions. Methods: Based on random samples from three residents’ registration offices, parents with infants aged up to 12 months were invited to participate. An online screening questionnaire was developed in four languages to assess common psychosocial stressors and mental health problems of parents with small children. Results: The study enrolled 4984 mothers and 962 fathers. The most common potential psychosocial stressors were professional problems (mothers 22%, fathers 33%), lack of social support (20%, 14%), and severe, negative experiences in childhood (22%, 16%). Obsessive–compulsive thoughts (21%, 16%) and depressive (9%, 9%) and anxiety symptoms (11%, 7%) were the most frequently reported mental health problems by both parents. Regulatory problems of the child were reported by between 1.5% and 5.1% of parents. Conclusions: The study showed that a substantial proportion of parents are burdened by psychosocial problems and suffer from mental health problems in the first years after the birth of their children. Early preventive and low-threshold support measures should be available in the health and social care system. Low-threshold questionnaires, which cover a wide range of possible stress factors, should be further developed for the practical healthcare of this group of people. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Infant Sensory Development)
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