The association of infant crying, feeding, and sleeping problems and inhibitory control with attention regulation at school age

Abstract

Regulatory problems in infancy and toddlerhood have previously been associated with an increased risk of developing attention problems in childhood. We hypothesized that early regulatory problems are associated with attention problems via reduced inhibitory control. This prospective study assessed 1,459 children from birth to 8 years. Crying, feeding, and sleeping problems were assessed at 5 and 20 months via parent interviews and neurological examinations. At 20 months, inhibitory control was tested with a behavioral (snack delay) task. Attention regulation was assessed at 6 and 8 years using multiple instruments and informants. Detrimental effects of crying, feeding, and sleeping problems on attention regulation were partly mediated by children's ability to inhibit unwanted behaviors (β = −0.04, p = 0.013). Accounting for cognition diminished this indirect effect (β = −0.01, p = 0.209). Instead, the effects of crying, feeding, and sleeping problems on attention regulation were fully mediated by children's cognitive functioning (β = −0.10, p < 0.001). These results support that inhibitory control abilities partly mediate effects of crying, feeding, and sleeping problems. However, these effects may be accounted for by children's general cognitive abilities. Early regulatory problems may set infants on a course of under control of behavior into school age, and such trajectories are highly associated with general cognitive development.

The impact of crying, sleeping, and eating problems in infants on childhood behavioral outcomes: A meta-analysis

“…This reciprocal relationship includes infant self and parent-infant co-regulatory processes (3,4). Thus, an infants's regulatory capacities can be seen as fundamental aspects of childhood development (5). However, some infants display dysregulation in these processes which are defined as difficulties in adjusting to the environment, the regulation of behavior, arousal, and self-soothing.…”

To snack or not to snack: Using fNIRS to link inhibitory control to functional connectivity in the toddler brain

“…A classic measure of early IC in 2 and 3 year‐olds is the Snack Delay task (Diamond, 2013; Friedman & Miyake, 2004; Mischel, 1974). Individual differences in Snack Delay task performance are predictive of familial attentional vulnerabilities, and have been demonstrated to mediate the detrimental effects of crying, feeding, and sleeping issues on attention regulation throughout development (Baumann et al., 2019; Pauli‐Pott et al., 2014). Generally, the literature documents the relationship between early IC behaviors and their neural correlates within adolescent and adult populations, specifically linking it to externalized behavioral issues and clinical outcomes such as anxiety in adulthood (Baumann et al., 2019; Filippi et al., 2021; Friedman et al., 2011; Lamm et al., 2014; Neppl et al., 2020).…”

Early regulatory problems and parenting: life-long risk, vulnerability or susceptibility for attention, internalizing and externalizing outcomes?

“…Crying, feeding and sleeping problems may cause serious concerns for parents and involve significant health service use (Hemmi, Wolke, & Schneider, 2011;James-Roberts, Alvarez, & Hovish, 2013). While most early regulatory problems (RPs) are transient, multiple RPs in infancy or persistent RPs into toddlerhood have been associated with an increased risk for long-term attention and behaviour regulation difficulties (Baumann et al, 2019;Bilgin et al, 2018;Jusiene, Breidokiene, & Pakalniskiene, 2015;Winsper & Wolke, 2013).…”