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Psychopathology in infancy

C H Zeanah1, N W Boris, M S Scheeringa

  • 1L.S.U. School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|January 1, 1997
PubMed

Insights

Studying early childhood psychopathology is challenging due to rapid development and relationship context. This review addresses key issues and proposes strategies for future research on infant mental health.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychopathology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Infant mental health

Background:

  • The first three years of life present unique challenges for studying psychopathology.
  • Key issues include variable specificity, measurement difficulties, rapid development, and the importance of relationships.
  • Conceptualizing infant disorders requires validating clinical diagnoses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review challenges in early childhood psychopathology research.
  • To explore the relevance of emotion regulation and infant-caregiver attachment.
  • To integrate developmental psychopathology and clinical disorder perspectives.

Main Methods:

  • Selective review of existing literature.
  • Focus on two key developmental domains: emotion regulation and attachment.
  • Analysis of psychopathological extremes within these domains.

Main Results:

  • Identified four major challenges in early childhood psychopathology research.
  • Highlighted the critical role of emotion regulation and infant-caregiver attachment.
  • Demonstrated the utility of integrating developmental and clinical perspectives.

Conclusions:

  • Emphasized the need for validated clinical disorders in infancy.
  • Proposed strategies to advance research in early childhood psychopathology.
  • Advocated for a dual perspective integrating developmental and clinical approaches.

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