Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

This symposium examines the impact of the accumulation of stress and psychosocial risk factors in the lives of families with young infants on parental perceptions and behavior. The findings presented in this symposium support the theoretical contributions of Sameroff and Emde (1990), which highlight the role of early relationship disturbances in shaping the developing child's mental health. The symposium will explore questions such as: What happens to parental cognitions about their relationship with their baby and perceptions of the baby's behavior in situations of maternal depression or where the level of risk facing a family overwhelms their coping capacities and support mechanisms? If a caregiver develops negative perceptions about infant behavior, what impact does that have on subsequent caregiving behavior and child physiological and behavioral regulation? Through four separate longitudinal studies presented by scholars from four different schools of social work, this symposium sets out to address these questions. Although the answers provide real cause for concern, they also provide some potential for meaningful change in how we have organized ourselves as a society to support families in need.

Social workers represent the largest proportion of front-line mental health practitioners working with families making the transition to parenthood. Yet, many lack knowledge sufficient to implement preventive intervention models for infant mental health and early pediatric problem behavior. This represents a major failing of our field. While social work often pays lip service to the importance of early intervention, there has been a dearth of research focus in our field on early childhood as a window of opportunity for change. Shifting the public perception of the importance of addressing early relationship problems and social disadvantage and the resultant benefits to all of society must be a priority for social work.