Page 8 - ParentsWorld June 2020

nurturing 21st Century Children
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Premature babies acquire bodily sociate professor of psychology at smu.

immunity after birth
nfants born prematurely rapidly acquire immune younger moms face greater
functions after birth, equivalent to infants born at mental challenges
iterm, according to a new study published in nature
Communications (march). King's College london re- cmaster university, Canada researchers have
searchers tracked infants born prior to the normative found that two of three young teenage moth-
32 weeks gestation period to assess their immune cell mers suffer at least one mental health problem
populations, capability to produce mediators, and oth- including depression, anxiety or hyperactivity. this is
er post-natal changes. the study concluded that most up to four times higher than in mothers aged above 21
immunity is acquired rapidly after birth and, as such, years and teens without children, the researchers con-
infants born prematurely have capability to develop cluded in a study published in journal of adolescent
normal immune systems. health (february).
“all the infants’ immune profiles progressed in a similar for the study, the researchers surveyed 450 mothers
direction as they aged, regardless of the number of weeks aged below 21 and 100 comparison mothers aged older
of gestation at birth. Babies born in earliest gestations — than 20 at the time of their first child delivery. "young
before 28 weeks — made a greater degree of movement mothers face a great deal of adversity both before and
over a similar time period to those born at later gestation. after becoming parents, yet next-to-nothing is known
this suggests that preterm and term infants converge in a about the rates and types of significant mental health
similar time frame, and immune development in all babies problems among these women in our community. the
follows a set path after birth,” says deena gibbons, profes- study findings can be used to develop better screening
sor at King's College london. processes and more effectively detect mental health
problems in teenage mothers, to provide direct treat-
don’t let children blame them- ment," says ryan van lieshout, lead researcher and as-
sociate professor of psychiatry and behavioural neuro-
selves for mother’s melancholia sciences, mcmaster university.

hildren who blame themselves for their mothers’ infant sleep problems linked to
melancholia are likely to suffer depression and
Canxiety, reveals a study conducted by southern future behavioural disorders
methodist university (smu), usa and published in the
journal of family psychology (march). the study which nadequate and irregular sleep in infancy can lead to
surveyed 129 mothers and their 13-year-olds found that emotional and behavioural problems in early child-
although children of mothers with high levels of de- ihood, says a study published in Bmj paediatrics
pressive symptoms are at increased risk of experienc- open (march). for the study, university of Birmingham,
ing anxiety, children who blame themselves for their uK, researchers collected information from 1,700 par-
mothers’ melancholia display higher levels of depres- ents on the sleep habits of their children at ages three,
sive symptoms. eight, 18 and 24 months. the study result highlights
“if children blame themselves for their mothers’ de- that infants who sleep for shorter periods of time, take
pressive symptoms, they are more likely to brood about longer to fall asleep and wake up more frequently dur-
their mothers’ symptoms. and we know from an exten- ing the night and are more likely to experience prob-
sive body of research that rumination over stressors, lems in regulating their behaviour and emotions at 24
especially ones that are uncontrollable, is linked with months. this prompts disruptive behaviour such as
depression and anxiety. also, if children feel personally temper tantrums.
responsible for their mothers’ symptoms, they may try "it's likely that sleep quality in the early months and
to ‘make it better’ and use ineffective coping strategies. the development of self-regulation — the ability to con-
this could lead to a sense of helplessness, failure, and trol our behaviour — are closely intertwined,” says lead
low self-worth in the child, since ultimately the child is researcher isabel morales-munoz who adds that sleep-
misattributing the cause of their mothers’ depressive ing problems of infants may be caused by a variety of
symptoms,” says lead author dr. Chrystyna Kouros, as- genetic and environmental factors.

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