Infant crying predicts real-time fluctuations in maternal mental health in ecologically valid home settings.

Abstract

Exposure to infant crying is a well-established predictor of mothers' mental health. However, this association may reflect many potential mechanisms. Capturing dynamic fluctuations in mothers’ states simultaneously with caregiving experiences is necessary to identify the real-time processes influencing mental health. In this study, we leveraged ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) and infant-worn audio recorders to capture variability in mothers’ mental health symptoms and their exposure to infant crying over one week in a racially and socio-economically diverse urban North-American sample (N = 53). We use multilevel modeling to characterize within- and between-person effects of crying on maternal negative affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Within participants, when infants cried more than average in the 10 min, 1 hr, and 8 hr prior to an EMA report, mothers’ negative affect subsequently increased, controlling for mean levels of infant crying. In contrast to findings from laboratory studies, in everyday settings crying exposure did not immediately increase feelings of depression. Only when crying was above average for 8 hr prior to EMA did mothers report increases in subsequent depression symptoms, suggesting that the effects of crying on maternal mental health take hours to unfold in ecologically valid home settings. Between participants, mothers of infants who cried more on average did not report higher negative affect or symptoms of depression or anxiety. Overall, our findings reveal that crying exposure dynamically influences maternal negative affect and depression but not anxiety in ecologically valid real-world settings.

Spontaneous infant crying modulates vagal activity in real time

“…By utilizing these paradigms, researchers can test the ecological commitments (i.e., claims about theoretically relevant behavior or events outside of the laboratory settings) of their research, strengthening the understanding of psychological constructs and theories around early development (Dahl, 2017). For example, infant negative affect or reactivity is considered to be a relatively stable trait in early development (Rothbart et al., 2000), but infants’ moods and behaviors are likely to shift dynamically throughout the day (de Barbaro et al, 2023). Naturalistic research can test the ecological commitments made by these theories by capturing a rich variety of infants’ affective highs and lows across hours and days.…”

“…This is a possibility with our research protocol, given that multiple cries were collected per dyad. Extended recordings (24 h+) from multimodal home sensor protocols can further facilitate this research, as many additional spontaneous crying events can be collected from each participant across hours and days (Buhler‐Wassmann & Hibel, 2021; de Barbaro et al., 2023).…”

“…For example, infant negative affect or reactivity is considered to be a relatively stable trait in early development (Rothbart et al, 2000), but infants' moods and behaviors are likely to shift dynamically throughout the day (de Barbaro et al, 2023). Naturalistic research can test the ecological commitments made by these theories by capturing a rich variety of infants' affective highs and lows across hours and days.…”

Probiotics for infantile colic: Is there evidence beyond doubt? A meta‐analysis and systematic review

“…According to Rome IV criteria, infantile colic is diagnosed when the caregiver reports a baby crying or fussing for three or more hours per day for three or more days within 7 days during a telephone or face‐to‐face screening interview 3 . The prevalence of infant colic varies significantly worldwide 4 …”

“…3 The prevalence of infant colic varies significantly worldwide. 4 Infantile colic can be challenging to treat due to its multifactorial and partially unknown pathophysiology. 3 Research has shown that behavioural and biological factors can contribute to the development of infant colic.…”