Work

Maternal contingent responses to distress facilitate infant soothing but not in mothers with depression or infants high in negative affect.

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: = 194; 86.60% White) at elevated risk for depression and their 3-month-old infants (46.40% female) living in a major metropolitan area in the United States. Overall, mothers contingently responded to infant distress, and mothers' responses to infant distress increased the likelihood of infant soothing in real time. However, there was no evidence for maternal contingent responding or facilitation of infant soothing in subsamples of mothers who were currently experiencing elevated depression symptoms or in mothers of highly negative infants. These findings suggest real-time behavioral mechanisms by which risks for maladaptive self-regulation may develop. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Developmental Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/dev0001607

Authors: Kaya de Barbaro, Priyanka Khante, Meeka Maier, Sherryl Goodman

Institutions: The University of Texas at Austin, Emory University

Language: English

Topic: Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health