Maternal psychiatric disorder in the post-birth period has important negative effects on maternal caretaking and infant development such as impaired cognitive and effective functioning, decreased social competence, and increased risk of abuse. This proposal represents a unique opportunity to study the long-term effects of puerperal mental illness for both the mother and her child. The study is possible because of the existence of a longitudinal data base of measured reliability and validity. Two groups of women, one cohort with psychiatric disorders related to childbearing and the second with similar disorders unrelated to childbearing, will be evaluated using an historical prospective design. The offspring who were exposed to these maternal psychiatric illnesses will also be evaluated. The proposed study assesses: 1. The predictive validity of maternal psychiatric illness during pregnancy and the puerperium for subsequent psychiatric illness and for the social, occupational, and interpersonal adaptive functioning of the mother. 2. The impact of exposure to maternal psychiatric disorder during early infancy on the child's functioning during the school years on psychiatric, cognitive, language, and physical measures.
