Consistency and change in the behavior of rhesus macaque abusive mothers with successive infants

Abstract

This study investigated the abusive behavior and parenting styles of 7 rhesus macaque mothers with infants born in 2 consecutive years. All subjects lived in captive social groups and were observed during the first 12 weeks of infant life. With the exception of 1 individual, mothers were generally consistent in the frequency with which they abused their successive infants. Similarities were also found in the temporal course of infant abuse, the use of the most common pattern of abuse, and some measures of parenting style, notably those reflecting maternal protectiveness. The findings of this study are discussed in relation to different hypothesized relationships between infant abuse and parenting style in macaques.