Relationship Among Caregiver Mental Health,Infant and Toddler Sensory-Processing Profiles,and Occupations

INTRODUCTION: Sensory processing is the ability to effectively receive, organize, and interpret sensory stimuli from the environment, including visual, tactile, vestibular, and auditory experiences (Dunn, 2007). Currently, there are no studies exploring how the perception of caregivers with mental health challenges may impact how they perceive their child's sensory processing. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between caregiver mental illness breastfeeding frequency/duration, and infant sleep and sensory profiles.

METHODS: The study utilized a prospective cohort research design. Neurotypical infant/maternal dyads took part in the IDAHO Mom Study examining perinatal influences on maternal and infant health and behavioral outcomes. Expectant mothers in the greater Southeastern Idaho community (medically underserved) were recruited. A total of 125 women completed the prenatal session with 96 women completing the 6-month postnatal session, and 61 women either completing the long-term follow up (LTFU). At the prenatal and 6-month postnatal sessions, the Infant and Toddler Sensory Profile 2 was completed at the LTFU sessions (10 months, 14 months, and 18 months). The majority of participants were Caucasian (92%), were employed (60%), completed some college or higher (82%), and designated their religious preference as Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (62%). There was a broad range of income levels amongst participants.

RESULTS: Point biserial correlations were conducted. More significant prenatal depression was associated with the infants who were categorized as sensory sensitive (more than others) at 10 months, while more significant postnatal depression was associated with toddlers who were classified as sensory sensitive at 14 months (more than others). Greater prenatal and postnatal anxiety was associated with toddlers categorized as sensory sensitive at 14 months (more than others). More frequent breastfeeding through 10, 14, and 18 months was associated with being categorized as low registration at 18 months. Longer duration of breastfeeding through 14 months postpartum was associated with being low registration at 14 and 18 months, and sensory seeking at 10 months. Breastfeeding duration through 18 months was unrelated to the majority versus not across domains. Infant average and total sleep quality at 6 months, 10 months, and 14 months were irrelevant to the majority versus not across domains. Better infant sleep quality at 18 months was associated with low registration at 18 months.

CONCLUSION: The findings initially suggest that there may be relationships between maternal mental health and their perception of their infant/toddler's sensory processing profiles. Maternal mental health symptomatology may result in challenges with coping (around a new infant) (Allwood, et al., 2017). The mother's own internal emotional experiences might be projected towards themselves and the child. Additionally, the mother might see challenging experiences in infants more readily. Women with anxiety or depression have dysregulated stress responses (Ponder et al., 2011). Regarding breastfeeding frequency/duration, sensory seeking infants may utilize this co-occupation as a mechanism to gain more sensory input. Additionally, cognitive development or micronutrients from breastfeeding may enable increased sensory seeking in toddlers. The findings suggest that maternal mental health has actual or perceived has an influence on sensory processing profiles in infants/toddlers, and occupational therapists working among those populations should pay special attention to how the mental health status of the caregiver may influence how they perceive their an infant/toddler.

References

Dunn, W. (2007). Supporting children to participate successfully in everyday life by using sensory processing knowledge. Infants & Young Children, 20(2), 84-101.

Ponder, K. L., Salisbury, A., McGonnigal, B., Laliberte, A., Lester, B., & Padbury, J. F. (2011). Maternal depression and anxiety are associated with altered gene expression in the human placenta without modification by antidepressant use: implications for fetal programming. Developmental psychobiology, 53(7), 711-723.

Allwood, M. A., Gaffey, A. E., Vergara-Lopez, C., & Stroud, L. R. (2017). Stress through the mind of the beholder: preliminary differences in child and maternal perceptions of child stress in relation to child cortisol and cardiovascular activity. Stress, 20(4), 341-349.