Persistent Maternal Mental Health Disorders and Toddler Neurodevelopment at 18 Months: Longitudinal Follow-up of a Low-Income South African Cohort.

One of the biggest threats to early childhood development in Africa is poor maternal mental health. The present study reports on the relationships between clinical diagnoses of persistent maternal mental health disorders (at 3- and/or 6- and 18-month post-term age) and toddler neurodevelopment at 18 months of age. Eighty-three mother-toddler dyads from low socio-economic status settings in Cape Town, South Africa, were included. At the 3-, 6- and 18-month postnatal visits, clinician-administered structured diagnostic assessments were carried out according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V (DSM-V) criteria. Toddler neurodevelopment at 18 months corrected age was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between toddlers with exposure to persistent mood or psychotic disorders in the different BSID-III domains compared to toddlers with no exposure. Toddlers exposed to persistent comorbid anxiety and mood disorders scored significantly higher on the cognitive (p = 0.049), motor (p = 0.013) and language (p = 0.041) domains and attained significantly higher fine motor (p = 0.043) and gross motor (p = 0.041) scaled scores compared to toddlers with no maternal mental health disorder exposure. Future investigations should focus on the role of protective factors to explain the pathways through which maternal mental health status is associated with positive toddler neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Maternal mental health and infant neurodevelopment at 6 months in a low-income South African cohort.

Maternal mental health disorders and the adverse consequences for infant neurodevelopment have received substantial research attention in high-income countries over the past five decades. In Africa, where relatively little work has been done on this topic, researchers have largely focused on infant physical health outcomes. This longitudinal study investigated the neurodevelopment of infants at 6 months post-term with exposure to mothers with a clinical diagnosis of persistent mental health disorders residing in low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa. Adjusted models revealed no significant differences on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III) domains (cognitive, motor, language, socio-emotional, and adaptive behavior) between infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders (n = 62) and the comparison group (n = 35) at 3 and 6 months. Subgroup analyses found no significant differences on the BSID-III domains between infants with exposure to mood disorders (n = 31), as well as infants with exposure to comorbid (i.e., a combination of two or three) mental health disorders (n = 14) and the comparison group. However, infants with exposure to psychotic disorders (n = 14) scored significantly lower on the cognitive and the motor domains and the fine motor subscale. These novel data provide an important contribution to the scientific literature especially in the field of maternal psychotic disorders in Africa.

Los trastornos de la salud mental materna y las consecuencias adversas para el neurodesarrollo del infante han recibido una considerable atención investigativa en países de altos niveles económicos a lo largo de las últimas cinco décadas. En África, donde se ha llevado a cabo relativamente poco trabajo sobre este tema, los investigadores se han enfocado por la mayor parte en los resultados de la salud física del infante. Este estudio longitudinal investigó el neurodesarrollo de infantes a los 6 meses después del término de gestación que habían sido expuestos a madres con un diagnóstico clínico de trastornos de salud mental persistentes quienes residían en comunidades de bajos recursos en Ciudad del Cabo, Sudáfrica. Los ajustados modelos no revelaron significativas diferencias en los dominios de las Escalas Bayley del Desarrollo del Infante y Niños Pequeñitos (BSID-III) (cognitivo, motor, lenguaje, comportamiento socioemocional y de adaptación) entre los infantes que habían estado expuestos a los trastornos de salud mental materna (n = 62) y el grupo de comparación (n = 35) a los 3 y 6 meses. Los análisis de subgrupo no encontraron diferencias significativas en los dominios de BSID-III entre los infantes que habían estado expuestos a los trastornos de estado de ánimo (n = 31), así como los infantes que habían estado expuestos a trastornos de salud mental comórbidos (v.g. una combinación de dos o tres) (n = 14) y el grupo de comparación. Sin embargo, los infantes que habían estado expuestos a trastornos sicóticos (n = 14) tuvieron puntajes significativamente más bajos en los dominios cognitivo y motor, así como en la subescala de las habilidades motoras finas. Estos novedosos datos ofrecen una contribución importante a la literatura científica especialmente en el campo de los trastornos sicóticos maternos en África.

Les troubles de la santé mentale maternelle et les conséquences négatives pour le neurodéveloppement du nourrisson ont reçu l'attention de beaucoup de recherches dans les pays à revenu élevé ces cinquante dernières années. En Afrique où relativement peu de travail a été fait sur ce sujet, les chercheurs se sont en grande partie penchés sur les résultats de la santé physique des nourrissons. Cette étude longitudinale s'est penchée sur le neurodéveloppement de nourrissons à 6 mois après terme avec une exposition aux mères avec un diagnostic clinique de troubles de la santé mentale persistants, résidant dans des communautés défavorisées à Cape Town, en Afrique du Sud. Les modèles ajustés n'ont révélé aucunes différences importantes dans les domaines (cognitif, moteur, langage, comportement socio-émotionnel et comportement adaptif) des Echelles Bayley du Développement du Nourrisson et du Jeune Enfant (BSID-III) entre les nourrissons exposés à des troubles de la santé mentale maternelle (n = 62) et le groupe de comparaison (n-35) à 3 et 6 mois. Les analyses de sous-groupes n'ont trouvé aucunes différences concernant les domaines BSID-III entre les nourrissons avec une exposition à des troubles de l'humeur (n-31), ainsi que des nourrissons avec une exposition à des troubles de santé mentale comorbides (c'est-à-dire une combinaison de deux ou trois) (n-14) et le groupe de comparaison. Cependant, les nourrissons ayant été exposés à des troubles psychotiques (n = 14) ont reçu des scores bien plus bas dans le domaine cognitif, dans le domaine moteur, et à la sous-échelle motrice fine. Ces nouvelles données offrent une contribution importante aux recherches scientifiques, surtout dans le domaine des troubles psychotiques maternels en Afrique.

Early motor behavior of infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders - A South African perspective.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past five decades the bulk of research on exposure to maternal mental health disorders and infant neurodevelopment has been generated in high-income countries. The current study included infants, residing in low-income communities in South Africa, born to mothers with a history of psychiatric disorders. AIM: To assess the motor behavior of 10- to 20-week-old infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders, and a subgroup of infants with prenatal psychotropic medication exposure. METHODS: The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive study, with a longitudinal subgroup analysis. General Movement Assessment (GMA), including the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R), was used at 10-20 weeks corrected age to assess infant motor behavior. RESULTS: The study included 112 infants. No significant difference (p = 0.523) was found on the MOS-R between infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders (n = 70) and the comparison group (n = 42). Both the exposed and comparison groups scored within the mildly reduced range on the MOS-R. No significant differences were found in a subgroup of infants with prenatal exposure to multi-class psychotropic medication (n = 17), mono-class psychotropic medication (n = 35) or valproate exposure (n = 10) (p > 0.1). CONCLUSION: No association was found between exposure to maternal mental health disorders or exposure to psychotropic medication and infant motor behavior at 10-20 weeks post-term age on the MOS-R. Future research should focus on the contribution of exposure to specific classes and types of psychotropic medication on neurodevelopmental outcome of infants in larger cohorts.

The Shared Pleasure Paradigm: A study in an observational birth cohort in South Africa.

Mother-infant dyads in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) may be exposed to a range of factors associated with suboptimal development. Optimal infant development is likely supported by synchronicity in the early mother-infant relationship, but limited corroborative research is available in LMICs. The Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS) provided an opportunity to study this synchronicity and its associations in South Africa. A South African birth cohort study investigating early-life determinants of child health in a LMIC context provided participants. The Shared Pleasure (SP) paradigm helped assess early mother-infant synchronicity in videos of a sub-set of 291 mother-infant dyads at their 14-week well baby visit. General linear regression models investigated the relationship between selected maternal and infant characteristics and the presence of Shared Pleasure moments. Out of a possible 291 dyads, 82% (n = 239) yielded Shared Pleasure moments. The mean age of mothers was 27 years, while infant sex distribution comprised 54% females and 46% males. The shortest single Shared Pleasure moment lasted at least 0.5 s and the longest 28 s. Shared Pleasure moments were associated with higher gestation age at delivery (p = 0.008) and higher infant birth weight (p = 0.006), but were not related to mother's mental health and infant health outcomes at 14 weeks. The high frequency of positive Shared Pleasure moments in reciprocal dyadic interactions in this sample suggests that significant disruption in shared pleasure may be present only in extreme cases (e.g. mothers with severe mental disorders). Further work is needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the associations between early mother-infant synchronicity and better outcomes noted here, and to assess whether SP may serve as a culturally appropriate screen for assessing connectedness.

Maternal Shared Pleasure, Infant Withdrawal, and Developmental Outcomes in a High Risk Setting in South Africa.

Background: Infants in lower middle income countries are often exposed to early adversities which may lead to suboptimal caregiving environments and place them at risk of not achieving their developmental potential. Synchrony and positive engagement in the mother-infant relationship plays a critical role in buffering the impact of early adversity. Shared Pleasure (SP) is considered a marker of high intensity positive interaction and may hold a promise of improving developmental outcomes. Methods: This study was part of a prospective observational study of mothers with and without mental illness in South Africa. Dyadic videos were assessed for SP and infant withdrawal (using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale) at 6 months. Infant developmental outcomes were assessed using the Bayley's Scales for Infant and Toddler Development, third edition at 18 months. Results: Ninety-one dyads were assessed for SP. The occurrence of SP was low (20%). There was no significant association with an EPDS measure of maternal depression (p = 0.571) and SP moments. Infant withdrawal was high (72%) and associated with male infant gender (p = 0.025). There was a significant association between the occurrence of SP and a lower score of infant withdrawal (estimate = -1.29; SE = 0.4; p = 0.0002). The number of SP moments at 6 months was significantly associated with motor (estimate = 2.4; SE = 0.9; p = 0.007) and marginally significant with cognitive scores (estimate = 1.9; SE = 1.0; p = 0.052) at 18 months. Regression modelling differential outcomes showed a greater improvement in cognitive scores at 18 months in infants with an SP moment compared to those without an SP moment [SP average difference (AD) = 7.4 (2.4), no SP AD = 10.4 (1.2); p = 0.012]. Infants without an SP moment experienced a larger decrease in motor scores at 18 months compared to those with an SP moment [SP AD = -3 (3.0); no SP AD = -10.6 (1.5), p = 0.027]. Conclusion: While the occurrence of SP in this sample was low and the rates of infant withdrawal were high, there were promising results suggesting early positive SP interactions may contribute to improvements in subsequent developmental outcomes.

Prospective cohort study of mortality in very low birthweight infants in a single centre in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

Background: Neonatal mortality is a major contributor worldwide to the number of deaths in children under 5 years of age. The primary objective of this study was to assess the overall mortality rate of babies with a birth weight equal or below 1500 g in a neonatal unit at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Furthermore, different maternal-related and infant-related factors for higher mortality were analysed. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study which included infants admitted to the neonatal wards of the hospital within their first 24 hours of life and with a birth weight equal to or below 1500 g. Mothers who consented answered a questionnaire to identify factors for mortality. Results: 173 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants were recruited in the neonatal department between November 2017 and December 2018, of whom 55 died (overall mortality rate 32.0%). Twenty-three of the 44 infants (53,5%) with a birth weight below 1000 g died during the admission. One hundred and sixty-one mothers completed the questionnaire and 45 of their babies died.Main factors associated with mortality were lower gestational age and lower birth weight. Need for ventilator support and sepsis were associated with higher mortality, as were maternal factors such as HIV infection and age below 20 years. Conclusion: This prospective study looked at survival of VLBW babies in an underprivileged part of the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Compared with other public urban hospitals in the country, the survival rate remains unacceptably low. Further research is required to find the associated causes and appropriate ways to address these.

Investigating the psychometric properties of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale for South African residents of Greater Pretoria.

Interviewers administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSES) to five groups of Black (formal township and informal settlement), White, Indian, and mixed race adult residents of Greater Pretoria. The results demonstrated that the RSES was psychometrically sound for the five groups. The minimal effects of sociodemographic characteristics on global self-esteem showed that the RSES and its two dimensions, self-competence (SC) and self-liking (SL), were suitable in this setting. All five groups scored above the theoretical midpoint of the RSES, indicating that generally positive self-evaluations appear to be universal. The relationships between positively and negatively worded items, SC, and SL attested to the following: internal structure reliability, congruence between positive and negative items, no negative biases in response, and concordance between SC and SL dimensions. The significant differences between informal settlement residents and the other four groups on global self-esteem, positively and negatively worded items, and SC and SL were possibly due to physiological needs taking precedence over higher order needs.

Guilt and pride are heartfelt, but not equally so.

We examined the cardiovascular physiology of guilt and pride to elucidate physiological substrates underpinning the behavioral motivations of these moral emotions. Although both emotions motivate prosocial behavior, guilt typically inhibits ongoing behavior, whereas pride reinforces current behavior. To succeed in eliciting real emotions, we used a novel social interaction task. We found dissociable sympathetic activation during guilt and pride; specifically, Guilt participants experienced prolonged cardiac sympathetic arousal as measured by preejection period (PEP), whereas Pride participants experienced transient non-cardiac somatic arousal and a shift to low frequency (LF) power in the cardiac spectrogram. This dissociation supports their distinctive motivational functions. Higher self-reported Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) sensitivity was furthermore uniquely associated with guilt, supporting its function as a punishment cue.