Normal and affectively ill mothers' beliefs about their children.

Normal, unipolar, and bipolar depressed women were studied to determine whether depressive cognitive schemas extend to the perception of one's own child. Depressed and well mothers reported equal satisfaction with their children, but the depressed group was less satisfied with the children's socioaffective than their cognitive development. The depressed mothers experienced a greater degree of helplessness regarding their children, and were more likely to feel that outcomes of child development were determined by uncontrollable factors.