The relationship between maternal psychiatric disorder and very young children's coping behaviors

The coping behavior of high-risk infants aged 4 to 36 months was investigated. Two groups of infants (n = 60) (mothers with and without psychiatric disorders) were rated using the Early Coping Inventory (ECI), an observational measure. Results indicated that children whose mothers had chronic psychiatric disorders demonstrated significantly less effective coping behavior on all subscales of the ECI (Sensorimotor Organization. Reactive Behavior, and Self-Initiated Behavior) and on 47 of the 48 items. The at-risk children's behavior was found to be more ''situationally effective''; that is, behavior used effectively in one type of situation was not generalized to other types of situations. The greatest discrepancy between the groups tr;as in self-initiated behavior. No significant effects of demographic variables or type or severity of psychiatric disorder were found. Implications for treatment of this high-risk group are discussed.