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Maternal and Child Health Journal
Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal 4/2010

01-07-2010

Hurricane Katrina-Related Maternal Stress, Maternal Mental Health, and Early Infant Temperament

Authors: Michael T. Tees, Emily W. Harville, Xu Xiong, Pierre Buekens, Gabriella Pridjian, Karen Elkind-Hirsch

Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal | Issue 4/2010

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Abstract

To investigate temperament in infants whose mothers were exposed to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, and to determine if high hurricane exposure is associated with difficult infant temperament. A prospective cohort study of women giving birth in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA (n = 288) in 2006–2007 was conducted. Questionnaires and interviews assessed the mother’s experiences during the hurricane, living conditions, and psychological symptoms, 2 months and 12 months postpartum. Infant temperament characteristics were reported by the mother using the activity, adaptability, approach, intensity, and mood scales of the Early Infant and Toddler Temperament Questionnaires, and “difficult temperament” was defined as scoring in the top quartile for three or more of the scales. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between hurricane experience, mental health, and infant temperament. Serious experiences of the hurricane did not strongly increase the risk of difficult infant temperament (association with three or more serious experiences of the hurricane: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63–3.58 at 2 months; 0.58, 0.15–2.28 at 12 months). Maternal mental health was associated with report of difficult infant temperament, with women more likely to report having a difficult infant temperament at 1 year if they had screened positive for PTSD (aOR 1.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61–5.41), depression, (aOR 3.16, 95% CI 1.22–8.20) or hostility (aOR 2.17, 95% CI 0.81–5.82) at 2 months. Large associations between maternal stress due to a natural disaster and infant temperament were not seen, but maternal mental health was associated with reporting difficult temperament. Further research is needed to determine the effects of maternal exposure to disasters on child temperament, but in order to help babies born in the aftermath of disaster, the focus may need to be on the mother’s mental health.
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Metadata
Title
Hurricane Katrina-Related Maternal Stress, Maternal Mental Health, and Early Infant Temperament
Authors
Michael T. Tees
Emily W. Harville
Xu Xiong
Pierre Buekens
Gabriella Pridjian
Karen Elkind-Hirsch
Publication date
01-07-2010
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Maternal and Child Health Journal / Issue 4/2010
Print ISSN: 1092-7875
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6628
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-009-0486-x

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