Infant Social-emotional Development Research Articles

Relación Entre Mentalización y Sensibilidad de Madres de Infantes de Un Año de Edad y su Efecto en su Desarrollo Socioemocional

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la relación entre la mentalización y sensibilidad materna en la interacción de madres de la Región Metropolitana de Chile con sus hijos de un año de edad y su implicancia en el desarrollo socioemocional (DSE) infantil en una muestra no probabilística intencionada de 105 madres de distinto nivel socioeconómico (NSE) y sus hijos/as que asistían a salas cuna públicas o privadas. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron la Escala de Sensibilidad del Adulto (E.S.A.), Evaluación de la Mentalización del Adulto Significativo y la escala de desarrollo socioemocional de la Escala de Desarrollo Infantil de Bayley-III. Mediante análisis correlacionales y comparativos de medias y frecuencias (t de Student y 2), se observó una correlación entre mentalización y sensibilidad materna y entre esta y el DSE del niño; no así con la mentalización. El NSE tiene implicancia en la calidad de la sensibilidad materna, mentalización y el nivel del DSE y, al ser controlado, desaparece la relación entre sensibilidad materna y DSE infantil. Se discuten las implicancias de incorporar intervenciones tempranas en estas competencias maternas.

Potential benefits of mindfulness during pregnancy on maternal autonomic nervous system function and infant development.

Mindfulness is known to decrease psychological distress. Possible benefits in pregnancy have rarely been explored. Our aim was to examine the prospective association of mindfulness with autonomic nervous system function during pregnancy and with later infant social-emotional development. Pregnant women (N = 156) completed self-report mindfulness and emotional distress questionnaires, and had their autonomic function assessed in their first and third trimesters, including heart rate (HR), indices of heart rate variability (HRV), preejection period (PEP), and systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The social-emotional development of 109 infants was assessed at 4 months of age. More mindful pregnant women had less prenatal and postnatal emotional distress (p < .001) and higher cardiac parasympathetic activity: root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD: p = .03) and high-frequency (HF) HRV (p = .02). Between the first and third trimesters, women's overall HR increased (p < .001), and HRV (RMSSD, HF HRV, and low-frequency (LF) HRV: p < .001) and PEP decreased (p < .001). In more mindful mothers, parasympathetic activity decreased less (RMSSD: p = .01; HF HRV: p = .03) and sympathetic activity (inversely related to PEP) increased less (PEP: p = .02) between trimesters. Their offspring displayed less negative social-emotional behavior (p = .03) compared to offspring of less mindful mothers. Mindfulness in pregnancy was associated with ANS changes likely to be adaptive and with better social-emotional offspring development. Interventions to increase mindfulness during pregnancy might improve maternal and offspring health, but randomized trials are needed to demonstrate this.

Postpartum depression and infant-mother attachment security at one year: The impact of co-morbid maternal personality disorders

Previous studies on effects of postpartum depression (PPD) on infant-mother attachment have been divergent. This may be due to not taking into account the effects of stable difficulties not specific for depression, such as maternal personality disorder (PD).Mothers (N=80) were recruited for a longitudinal study either during pregnancy (comparison group) or eight weeks postpartum (clinical group). Infants of mothers with depressive symptoms only or in combination with a PD diagnosis were compared with infants of mothers with no psychopathology. Depression and PD were assessed using self-report and clinical interviews. Infant-mother attachment was assessed when infants were 13 months using Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). Attachment (in)security was calculated as a continuous score based on the four interactive behavioral scales of the SSP, and the conventional scale for attachment disorganization was used.PPD was associated with attachment insecurity only if the mother also had a PD diagnosis. Infants of PPD mothers without co-morbid PD did not differ from infants of mothers with no psychopathology. These results suggest that co-existing PD may be crucial in understanding how PPD impacts on parenting and infant social-emotional development. Stable underlying factors may magnify or buffer effects of PPD on parenting and child outcomes.

An equivalence evaluation of a nurse-moderated group-based internet support program for new mothers versus standard care: a pragmatic preference randomised controlled trial.

BackgroundAll mothers in South Australia are offered a clinic or home-visit by a Child and Family Health community nurse in the initial postnatal weeks. Subsequent support is available on request from staff in community clinics and from a telephone helpline. The aim of the present study is to compare equivalence of a single clinic-based appointment plus a nurse-moderated group-based internet intervention when infants were aged 0–6 months versus a single home-visit together with subsequent standard services (the latter support was available to mothers in both study groups).Methods/DesignThe evaluation utilised a pragmatic preference randomised trial comparing the equivalence of outcomes for mothers and infants across the two study groups. Eligible mothers were those whose services were provided by nurses working in one of six community clinics in the metropolitan region of Adelaide. Mothers were excluded if they did not have internet access, required an interpreter, or their nurse clinician recommended that they not participate due to issues such as domestic violence or substance abuse. Randomisation was based on the service identification number sequentially assigned to infants when referred to the Child and Family Health Services from birthing units (this was done by administrative staff who had no involvement in recruiting mothers, delivering the intervention, or analyzing results for the study). Consistent with design and power calculations, 819 mothers were recruited to the trial. The primary outcomes for the trial are parents’ sense of competence and self-efficacy measured using standard self-report questionnaires. Secondary outcomes include the quality of mother-infant relationships, maternal social support, role satisfaction and maternal mental health, infant social-emotional and language development, and patterns of service utilisation. Maternal and infant outcomes will be evaluated using age-appropriate questionnaires when infants are aged <2 months (pre-intervention), 9, 15, and 21 months.DiscussionWe know of no previous study that has evaluated an intervention that combines the capacity of nurse and internet-based services to improve outcomes for mothers and infants. The knowledge gained from this study will inform the design and conduct of community-based postnatal mother and child support programs.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613000204741

Perinatal common mental disorders among women and the social and emotional development of their infants in rural Vietnam

BackgroundLittle is known about the effect of common mental disorders (CMD) among women in the perinatal period on infant development in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of exposures to maternal symptoms of ante- and post-natal CMD on infant social–emotional development in a low-income setting. MethodsA prospective community-based investigation in which a cohort of pregnant women was recruited in rural northern Vietnam and followed until 6 months postpartum. Psychosocial and biological data were collected in four assessment waves. The outcome was 6-month old infants' scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Social–Emotional Questionnaire. Direct and indirect effects of maternal CMD on the outcome were tested simultaneously with path analysis. ResultsComplete data were available for 378 mother–infant dyads. There were no direct effects of ante- or post-natal CMD on infant Social–Emotional scores. However, there was an indirect pathway (path coefficient −1.11, 95% CI −1.79 to −0.42) in which antenatal CMD were associated with increased likelihood of postnatal CMD, which were associated with reduced parenting self-efficacy and less affectionate and warm parenting practices, which were associated with lower infant social–emotional scores. Parenting self-efficacy and practices also mediated the adverse effects of a woman being young or of high parity or experiencing poverty, intimate partner violence, a poor relationship with her own mother, non-economic life adversity and insufficient breastmilk, on infant social–emotional development. LimitationsWe acknowledge some limitations including (1) a moderate rate of attrition, (2) the use of a screening test for perinatal CMD, (3) the Bayley scales are not yet validated for use in Vietnam and (4) possible response bias in which maternal perceptions of their infants were influenced by their mood. ConclusionsThese data indicate that women's antenatal and postnatal mental health is a crucial but currently inadequately understood determinant of the social and emotional development of infants in low-income settings.

Sleep and Attachment in Preterm Infants

Infants born preterm are at elevated risk for social emotional difficulties. However, factors contributing to this risk are largely understudied. Within the present study, we explored infant sleep as a biosocial factor that may play a role in infant social emotional development. Within a prospective longitudinal design, we examined parent-reported sleep patterns and observed parenting quality as predictors of infant-mother attachment in 171 infants born preterm. Using structural equation modeling, we examined main effect and moderator models linking infant sleep patterns and parenting with attachment security. Sleep patterns characterized by more daytime sleep and positive/responsive parenting predicted infant attachment security. Parent-reported nighttime sleep patterns were unrelated to attachment in this sample of infants born preterm. These results indicate that daytime sleep and parenting quality may be important for emerging attachment relationships in infants born preterm.

Maternal attachment feelings mediate between maternal reports of depression, infant social–emotional development, and parenting stress

Objective: The current study examined whether having a positive maternal postpartum depression screening was associated with maternal report of poorer infant social–emotional development and more negative maternal report of parent–child interaction, and whether scores on a measure of maternal feelings of attachment influenced this relationship. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-two first-time mothers and their infants were assessed using self-reporting questionnaires when infants were 2 and 6 months of age. At 2 months, mothers were screened for postpartum depression and their feelings of attachment to their infants were also measured. At 6 months, mothers reported on infant social–emotional development and the parent–child interaction. Results: Findings revealed an association between having a positive screening for maternal depression at 2 months, and reports of both at-risk infant social–emotional development and parent–child dysfunctional interaction at 6 months. Further analyses indicated that maternal feelings of attachment mediated rather than moderated these relationships. Conclusions: These results suggest that the association of maternal postpartum depression with later child outcomes may be the result of the negative effects of maternal depression on maternal feelings of attachment to her infant.

Optimizing the Early Parent–Child Relationship: Windows of Opportunity for Parents and Pediatricians

This article explores child and parent risk factors that can affect the early parent-child relationship and highlights how a relational approach can be used in pediatric primary care to optimize early social-emotional development in the context of family-centered care. Risk factors, such as prematurity, parental mental illness, and a history of adverse care-giving experiences, can affect the parent-child relationship and influence later infant social-emotional development. The pediatrician, because of the ongoing relationship with the family, is in an optimal position to identify concerns, initiate interventions, and provide support and services to support the development of the early parent-child relationship.

Fathers in disadvantaged families: The importance of parental self-efficacy and partnership satisfaction for infants' development and mothers' interactive style

A father's involvement and influence on child development has received increasing scientific attention over the last decades. Nevertheless, parental self-efficacy (PSE) in fathers and its associations with early mother-child interaction and child outcomes are understudied, especially when environmental conditions of the family are adverse. Partnership satisfaction as a key determinant of family unity could be a possible mediating variable determining these associations. The present article examines the importance of self-rated paternal PSE and partnership satisfaction at six months postpartum for infant's cognitive, psychomotor, and social-emotional development and maternal interaction style at 12 months postpartum in a sample of 83 socially and financially disadvantaged families. Results indicate significant associations among paternal ratings, maternal reciprocity and infants' social-emotional development. Paternal partnership satisfaction was found to fully mediate the association between paternal PSE ...

Effect of early education with community participation on infant social-emotional development

目的 探讨社区参与的早期教育模式对婴幼儿社会情绪发展的影响.方法 将珠海市吉大社区所辖的12个居委会正常出生的400名新生儿随机分为早期教育组(200名)和传统教育组(200名),随访2年,分别于幼儿1岁和2岁时利用1～3岁幼儿社会和情绪评估量表(ITSEA)进行评估.结果 幼儿在1岁和2岁两个阶段的外化行为、内化行为、失调行为和反应能力异常的发生率在早期教育组均明显低于传统教育组(P＜0.05).结论 社区参与的早期教育模式可以明显促进婴幼儿社会情绪的健康发展。

A longitudinal study of infant's social-emotional development and the implications of extra-parental care

Abstract A longitudinal study was conducted of infants, some of whom had experienced substantial non-parental care, and some of whom had not. The behaviour of these infants was observed during a set sequence of separation and reunions involving the mother and regular care-giver. Results were analyzed in terms of individual stability, developmental patterns, and inter-group differences. These were differences in socio-emotional behaviour associated with day care experience. The results are discussed in relation to attachment theory.