One-year-old infants of intrusive and withdrawn depressed mothers

This study examined behaviors of intrusive/depressed versus withdrawn/depre ssed mothers and their one-year-old infants during a structured teaching in teraction. Group comparisons revealed that intrusive/depressed mothers show ed more positive responses, more demonstrating toys, and more physical guid ance, and their infants demonstrated less toy manipulation. Withdrawn/depre ssed mothers maintained infant play more frequently and showed more restric ted affect, and their infants demonstrated less affective behavior, both po sitive and negative. These findings suggested that exposure to depressed mo thers' nonoptimal interaction styles represents different types of risk to infants' cognitive and affective development.