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A study by Cardiff University's School of Psychology, published in Scientific Reports, has revealed how the emotional environment created by mothers can impact children's mental health.

Dr. Ellie Dorrans, of Cardiff University's School of Psychology, said, "Mothers are rich sources of emotional information for children, with previous research showing that childhood emotional and behavioral problems have been associated with maternal anxiety, depression, expressed emotion and facial expressivity. However, no study has examined these factors together."

"We wanted to understand how the emotional environment mothers create relates to the severity of problems in childhood," said Dorrans, lecturer.

The researchers examined 134 children aged 4 to 8 who had been referred for assessment due to emotional, behavioral or cognitive difficulties at school—they investigated maternal mental health, verbal emotional communication and analysis of facial expressions using automated facial expression analysis technology.

Despite very few of these mothers having diagnoses of anxiety or depression, the researchers found that higher levels of maternal anxiety were associated with children experiencing more severe emotional problems that were directed inward—such as anxiety, sadness and withdrawal.

But for mothers who reported higher levels of depression, the researchers found children demonstrating more behavioral difficulties that were directed outward, including aggression, oppositional behavior and conduct problems.

Similarly, these mothers who expressed more negative and less warm attitudes toward their child were more likely to have children with significant behavioral difficulties.

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