Video-Coded Maternal Behaviours and Stress Reactivity in Preschoolers of Mothers with Depression

Parents play an important role in supporting their children’s social-emotional development and well-being. Social buffering theory suggests that positive parent-child relationships are associated to children’s ability to cope with acute stress. One method utilized to measure parent-child relationships is through observed video-coded interactions, but in the context of acute stress, there is an identified gap in standardized video coding systems. We created a video coding scheme to capture maternal behaviours associated with children’s stress reactivity and recovery in a sample of mothers with clinical depression and their preschool aged children (N = 40). Mother-child dyads participated in a baseline assessment of a larger clinical trial study via online videoconferencing platform. Children partook in an acute stressor task alongside salivary cortisol and heart rate measurements. Video recordings of maternal behaviours were collected both during and after the acute stressor task. Transcriptions of maternal behaviours were recorded to inform the microanalytic coding scheme development. These transcriptions were consolidated into codes based on established systems and clinical theory. Partial construct validity of the video coding scheme was found when comparing the observed maternal behaviours with a standardized questionnaire of parenting behaviour. Results indicate that observed global maternal involvement during the online stressor task produced a blunting effect on children’s stress reactivity. However, no associations between mothers’ parenting behaviours after the stressor and children’s stress physiology were found. Results may inform parenting interventions aimed at supporting children’s well-being.