Year: 2023
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: The transition to parenthood is a time of psychological and neurobiological reorganization thought to prepare parents for caregiving, including the unique demands of emotion regulation during infancy and early child development. This chapter reviews evidence that highlights changes in maternal brain structure, including data collected from preconception and across the postpartum period. Next, functional neuroimaging studies are described that have highlighted the importance of measuring reactivity to salient infant cues of emotion, specifically, infant facial expression and cries, to our understanding of the parental brain and emotion regulation. Finally, the emerging literature examining the neurobiology of parental emotion regulation is presented. Following this empirical review, limitations and future directions of the field are considered.
Author: Helena J. V. Rutherford
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4390600356