Maternal positive responses to a distressed infant simulator predict subsequent negative affect in infants

McKay, Erin R.; Rosinski, Leanna; Mayes, Linda C.; Rutherford, Helena J. V.; Bridgett, David J.

doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2018.12.004

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Infants who learn that their mothers are inconsistently responsive tend to maximize their distress to promote the likelihood of maternal responses, and infants who learn that their mothers reject their distress cues tend to minimize their distress in order to prevent rejection from their mothers (Cassidy, 1994). This has been supported in more recent work (McKay et al, 2019), and appears to be long lasting, with parentdriven effects on temperament being observed through toddlerhood (Hentges et al, 2019) and into early adolescence (Briscoe et al, 2019). Longitudinal associations of infants' minimization and maximization of distress in response to their history of caregiving can be seen across other domains, including maternal warmth (Van den Akker et al, 2014) and emotion socialization (Pérez-Edgar & Hastings, 2018).…”

Section: Parenting Predicts Temperamentmentioning

confidence: 84%

Transactional associations between infant negative emotionality and maternal sensitivity: Maternal emotion dysregulation as a moderator.

Bailes¹,

Leerkes²

2023

Journal of Family Psychology

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The relations between maternal sensitivity and infant negative emotionality have been tested extensively in the previous literature. However, the extent to which these associations reflect unidirectional or bidirectional effects over time remains somewhat uncertain. Further, the possibility that maternal characteristics moderate the extent to which infant negative emotionality predicts maternal sensitivity over time has yet to be tested in cross-lag models. The goal of the present study is to address these gaps. First time mothers (N = 259; 50% White; 50% Black) and their infants participated when infants were 6, 14, and 26 months of age. Infant negative emotionality was assessed via maternal report and direct observation during standardized laboratory tasks, which were subsequently combined to yield a multimethod measure at each wave. Maternal sensitivity was observationally coded at each wave and mothers self-reported emotion dysregulation at 6 and 14 months. A random intercepts cross-lagged model with maternal emotion dysregulation specified as a moderator revealed that infant negative emotionality at 6 months was negatively associated with maternal sensitivity at 14 months, but only among mothers higher in emotion dysregulation. Higher maternal sensitivity was in turn associated with lower infant negative emotionality when infants were 26 months of age. The indirect pathway was significant, lending support for the transactional model. Implications for future research and prevention/intervention are discussed.

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Section: Parenting Predicts Temperamentmentioning

confidence: 84%

Transactional associations between infant negative emotionality and maternal sensitivity: Maternal emotion dysregulation as a moderator.

Bailes¹,

Leerkes²

2023

Journal of Family Psychology

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“…Mothers were asked to soothe a distressed infant simulator in early infancy, and this was compared with the mothers' report of negative affectivity in their own child in later infancy. Specific behaviors, such as greater use of soothing touch and maternal vocalization in the simulation test were associated with less negative emotionality and fear in the mothers' children [49]. The importance of touch and vocalization were repeatedly mentioned and praised during the entire MITP-m program.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…How negative emotionality could best be approached was addressed in a recent experimental study [49]. Mothers were asked to soothe a distressed infant simulator in early infancy, and this was compared with the mothers' report of negative affectivity in their own child in later infancy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperamental Development among Preterm Born Children. An RCT Follow-Up Study

2020

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A randomized controlled trial study recruited 146 preterm born children, either to participate in a modified version of the Mother–Infant Transaction Program (MITP-m) or to receive the usual follow-up services, before and after discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit. This follow-up study investigates whether MITP participation is associated with parental perceptions of child temperament from two to seven years. Children’s temperament was reported by mothers and fathers separately at children’s ages of 2, 3, 5, and 7 years. Parents in the MITP-m group reported lower levels of negative emotionality in their children compared to the control group. In maternal reports, a group effect (F(1, 121) = 9.7, p = 0.002) revealed a stable difference in children’s negative emotionality from two to seven years, while a group-by-time interaction related to an increasing difference was detected in reports from fathers (F(1, 94) = 4.8, p = 0.03). Another group difference appeared in fathers’ reports of children’s soothability (F(1, 100) = 14.2, p < 0.0005). MITP-m fathers seemed to perceive their children as easier to soothe at all ages as no interaction with time appeared. Parental reports on children’s sociality, shyness, and activity did not differ between the groups.

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“…The simulated infant was dressed in gender neutral clothing (yellow pajamas) and was referred to as “Chris.” Convergent validity for the simulated infant task is supported by research showing that caregiving quality displayed during a simulated infant task is correlated with caregiving quality observed during mothers’ interactions with their own children (Bakermans-Kranenburg et al, 2015; Hechler et al, 2019). Additionally, soothing techniques used by mothers while attempting to soothe the simulated crying infant predicted aspects of their own infants’ temperament four and eight months after completing the simulated infant task (McKay et al, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Infant simulators were originally developed as teaching aides and have been used: 1) to train medical professionals on a variety of topics, and 2) to educate youth about the demands of parenting and the harm caused by shaking infants (Barnett & Hurst, 2003; Roberts & McCowan, 2004). Use of an infant simulator in research allows the researcher to control the onset/offset of infant crying and to manipulate the responsiveness of the infant to the caregiver’s efforts to soothe it (McKay et al, 2019; Rutherford, 2019; Rutherford et al, 2013; Voorthuis et al, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prolonged Infant Crying: Caregiving Quality and Child Physical Abuse Risk

Crouch

Bridgett

Milner

et al. 2022

J Interpers Violence

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Research suggests that prolonged infant crying may increase risk for child physical abuse (CPA). However, few studies have examined behavioral responses to infant crying among parents at risk for CPA. The present study sought to fill this gap by using a simulated infant to examine how mothers and fathers with varying degrees of CPA risk respond to prolonged infant crying. Specifically, a sample of 184 general population caregivers (107 mothers and 77 fathers) participated in a task that involved attempting to soothe a simulated infant that cried continuously for 30 min. The simulated infant sessions were video-recorded, and quality of caregiving behavior was coded in 5-min segments. Participants rated their negative affect (feelings of upset, distress, irritability) at the outset of the data collection session, before beginning the simulated infant task, and after the simulated infant task concluded. It was predicted that high-risk caregivers, compared to low-risk caregivers, would display lower quality caregiving, higher levels of negative affect, and that CPA risk group differences would increase over time. Gender differences were explored in relation to the aforementioned hypotheses. Over the course of the 30-min simulated infant task, the quality of caregiving behavior diminished among both high- and low-risk caregivers. As expected, high-risk caregivers, compared to low-risk caregivers, exhibited lower quality caregiving behaviors and were more likely to discontinue the simulated infant task early. In addition, high-risk, compared to low-risk, caregivers reported higher levels of negative affect throughout the data collection session, with the highest level of negative affect reported by high-risk caregivers after completing the simulated infant task. Overall, the quality of caregiving exhibited by men and women did not significantly differ. The present findings highlight the importance of early intervention designed to support caregivers’ abilities to respond effectively to prolonged infant crying.

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Maternal positive responses to a distressed infant simulator predict subsequent negative affect in infants

Cited by 8 publications

References 78 publications

Transactional associations between infant negative emotionality and maternal sensitivity: Maternal emotion dysregulation as a moderator.

Transactional associations between infant negative emotionality and maternal sensitivity: Maternal emotion dysregulation as a moderator.

Temperamental Development among Preterm Born Children. An RCT Follow-Up Study

Prolonged Infant Crying: Caregiving Quality and Child Physical Abuse Risk

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