Maternal Sensitive Responsiveness Research Articles

What watching others watching can tell us: using video vignettes alongside narrative interviews to access multiple positions and embodied information in cross-cultural mother-infant research

ABSTRACT Culturally-embedded and embodied understandings of interaction, transmitted intergenerationally, and often non-consciously through sensory and affective memory, are notoriously difficult to access. Such information is often contained in implicit memory and is not readily available for narrative explanation. Alternative methodologies that can access these models of meaning are required. While videos of mother-infant interaction have long been used for both assessment and clinical intervention, in this paper, the use of participant commentary during observation of interactional videos as a qualitative research method, alongside narrative interviews, is proposed. The utility of this dual method is demonstrated through its use in a study aimed at understanding local understandings of maternal sensitive responsiveness in a South African township setting. By analysing participant responses to video material alongside their answers to interview questions, this paper suggests that participant reflection on video material utilised alongside narrative interviewing allows for analysis and interpretation of shifting participant identifications and positions, capturing greater complexity in understandings of culturally-embedded parent-infant interaction.

Neonatal Risk, Maternal Sensitive-Responsiveness and Infants' Joint Attention: Moderation by Stressful Contexts.

Neonatal risk factors have been associated with atypical development in various areas of social communication, including joint attention (JA), but little is known about factors in the early caregiving environment that can modify the negative implications of neonatal risk. The present study examines the links between neonatal risk and infants' JA, while considering the mediating role of maternal sensitive-responsiveness and the moderating roles of stressful contexts. One hundred and eighty-two families with infants (50% female) born in a wide range of gestational ages and birthweights participated in the study. Neonatal risk was assessed shortly after birth using three indicators: birthweight, gestational age, and degree of medical risk. At age 6 months, maternal sensitive-responsiveness to infants' foci of attention was rated and maternal anxiety and household chaos were measured. Infants' JA behaviors were assessed at age 12 months. A moderated-mediation model revealed that maternal anxiety symptoms and household chaos moderated the links between neonatal risk, maternal sensitive-responsiveness, and infants' responding to JA. Specifically, neonatal risk was related to less maternal sensitive-responsiveness only when maternal anxiety symptoms were above average levels, but not when anxiety symptoms were low. Moreover, maternal sensitive-responsiveness was positively related to infants' responding to JA behaviors when household chaos was low but not when it was high. These findings highlight the complex nature of the links between infants' early biological risk and caregiving environments in the development of social communication skills.

Child’s oxytocin response to mother-child interaction: The contribution of child genetics and maternal behavior

The oxytocinergic system is a primary biological system involved in regulating a child’s needs for bonding and for protection from threats. It is responsive to social experiences in close relationships, though evidence across studies is not entirely consistent. Guided by previous literature, we investigated individual and environmental factors predicting and presumably affecting children’s oxytocin (OT) response during mother-child interaction. by focusing on children’s OXTR genotype, and maternal behavior, respectively. This was achieved by assessing salivary OT levels of 88 Portuguese preschoolers prior to and following a mother-child interaction task, and by genotyping children’s OXTR SNP rs53576. Maternal interactive behavior was assessed using Ainsworth scales.Results indicated that child genotype and mother’s sensitive responsiveness interacted in predicting change in child OT concentrations from before to after the interaction. Specifically, Genotypic differences emerged under conditions of low maternal sensitive responsiveness: OT levels increased over time for children with the GG genotype when maternal sensitive responsiveness was low, but no such genotypic differences were evident when mothers were highly sensitive responsive.Findings provide preliminary support for the notion that increased understanding of children’s OT and close relationships requires consideration of both individual and environmental factors.

Does the development of executive functioning in infants born preterm benefit from maternal directiveness?

ObjectiveProblems in early development of executive functioning may underlie the vulnerability and individual variability of infants born preterm for behavioral and learning problems. Parenting behaviors may aggravate or temper this increased risk for dysfunction. This study assessed how maternal parenting behaviors predict individual differences in early development of executive functioning in infants born preterm, and whether this varies with infant temperament, i.e., self-regulation. MethodsParticipants were 76 infants born preterm (≤36weeks' gestation and <2500g birth weight) and their mothers. Maternal sensitive responsiveness and directiveness were observed during a mother-infant interaction situation at 7, 10 and 14months corrected age. At the same ages, executive functioning was measured using the A-not-B task. An infant self-regulation questionnaire (IBQ-R) was completed by mothers at 7months. ResultsAfter controlling for perinatal risk factors, Multivariate Latent Growth Modeling showed that consistently higher levels of maternal directiveness predicted a stronger increase in A-not-B performance, which did not vary with infant self-regulation. No relationship between maternal sensitive responsiveness and development in A-not-B performance in infants born preterm was found. ConclusionsThese results suggest that preterm infants' early executive functioning development in the first year of life may benefit from a more and consistent directive approach by their mothers. These findings have important implications for early intervention programs aimed at facilitating preterm infants' development.

Enhancing Maternal Sensitivity and Emotional Wellbeing Through a Preventative Parent–Child Relationship Intervention in a Community Setting

The aim of this applied study was to explore the outcomes of a parent–child relationship intervention for enhancing maternal sensitivity to the infant’s needs and increasing maternal emotional wellbeing in the parenting situation. Whilst there is extensive support established for interventions with high-risk and at-risk populations, there is limited evidence from programs that target low risk parents who on presentation are often identified to have symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress. A mixed methods research design was utilised to present quantitative and qualitative outcomes at pre- and post-intervention from 14 participants in the Tuned In Parenting program at a community health organisation. Self-report measures were summarised to provide a descriptive profile of participants. Recorded mother–child semi-structured play interactions were analysed using a behaviour rating scale. Transcripts of audio recordings from semi-structured interviews were analysed using a thematic and content approach. Participants demonstrated enhanced maternal sensitive responsiveness and a reduction in symptoms of maternal depression following program completion. The preventative relationship based intervention holds considerable promise in improving maternal wellbeing and transforming relationships between mothers and their children.

1264 Mother-Child Interaction is Associated with Developmental Outcome in Extremely Low Gestational Age Children

BackgroundEarly mother-child interaction is one of the factors suggested to have impact on developmental outcome of extremely low gestational age (ELGA) children.ObjectiveTo evaluate associations of mother-child interaction with developmental outcome...

Breastfeeding and Its Relation to Maternal Sensitivity and Infant Attachment

To examine the association of breastfeeding with maternal sensitive responsiveness and infant-mother attachment security and disorganization. We included 675 participants of a prospective cohort study. Questionnaires about breastfeeding practices were administered at 2 and 6 months postpartum. At 14 months, maternal sensitive responsiveness was assessed in a 13-minute laboratory procedure using Ainsworth's sensitivity scales, and attachment quality was assessed with the Strange Situation Procedure. Mothers were genotyped for oxytocin receptor genes OXTR rs53576 and OXTR rs2254298. Linear regressions and analyses of covariance adjusted for various background variables were conducted. We tested for mediation and moderation by maternal sensitive responsiveness and maternal oxytocin receptor genotype. Continuous analyses showed that longer duration of breastfeeding was associated with more maternal sensitive responsiveness (B = 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02; 0.20, p < .05), more attachment security (B = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.02; 0.46, p < .05), and less attachment disorganization (B = -0.20, 95% CI -0.36; -0.03, p < .05). Duration of breastfeeding was not related to the risk of insecure-avoidant or insecure-resistant versus secure attachment classification, but longer duration of breastfeeding predicted a lower risk of disorganized versus secure attachment classification (n = 151; odds ratio [OR] = 0.81, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.99, p = .04). Maternal sensitive responsiveness did not mediate the associations, and maternal oxytocin receptor genotype was not a significant moderator. Although duration of breastfeeding was not associated with differences in infant-mother attachment classifications, we found subtle positive associations between duration of breastfeeding and sensitive responsiveness, attachment security, and disorganization.

Regulatory competence and social communication in term and preterm infants at 12 months corrected age. Results from a randomized controlled trial

Temperamental regulatory competence and social communication in term and preterm infants at 12 months corrected age was studied in a randomized controlled intervention trial aimed at enhancing maternal sensitive responsiveness. Surviving infants <2000 g from a geographically defined area were randomized to an intervention (71) or a control group (69), and compared with term infants (74). The intervention was a modified version of the “Mother–Infant Transaction Program”. Regulatory competence was measured with the Infant Behavior Questionnaire, and social communication with the Early Social Communication Scales. Preterm intervention infants with low regulatory competence had higher responding to joint attention than preterm control infants. A sensitizing intervention may moderate the association between temperament and social communication, and thus allow an alternative functional outlet for preterm infants low in regulatory competence. The finding may have implications for conceptualizations of the role of early sensitizing interventions in promoting important developmental outcomes for premature infants.

The association between parenting and attachment security is moderated by a polymorphism in the mineralocorticoid receptor gene: Evidence for differential susceptibility

Maternal sensitive responsiveness and extreme insensitivity only partly explain the variance in attachment security. Differences in attachment security may well be rooted in the interplay of genetic variations and environmental factors. The association between parenting (observed sensitive responsiveness and extreme insensitivity) and attachment security (assessed with the Strange Situation Procedure) was hypothesized to be moderated by genes involved in the regulation of the stress response: the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) genes. A significant G × E interaction was found: infants carrying the minor MR allele (G) were significantly more securely attached if their mothers showed more sensitive responsiveness and significantly less securely attached if their mothers showed more extremely insensitive behaviors. These associations were not significant for carriers of the AA genotype of MR. Findings are discussed from a differential susceptibility perspective.

Supporting insensitive mothers: the Vilnius randomized control trial of video‐feedback intervention to promote maternal sensitivity and infant attachment security

This randomized control trial examined the effects of a short-term, interaction-focused and attachment-based video-feedback intervention (VIPP: video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting). Design VIPP effect on mothers' sensitive responsiveness and infant-mother attachment security was evaluated in a sample (n = 54) of low sensitive, non-clinical, middle class Lithuanian mothers. Maternal sensitivity was assessed in a free play session with the Ainsworth's sensitivity scale, and attachment security was observed using the Attachment Q sort for home observations. We found that the intervention mothers indeed significantly improved their sensitive responsiveness through participation in our VIPP. The effect size was large according to Cohen's criteria, d = 0.78. VIPP enhanced maternal sensitive responsiveness even when maternal age, educational level, depression, daily hassles, efficacy, infant gender, and infant negative and positive affect were controlled for. However, attachment security in the VIPP infants was not enhanced after the intervention, compared with the control infants, and the infants did not seem to be differentially susceptible to the increase in maternal sensitivity dependent on their temperamental reactivity. We suggest that a relatively brief and low-cost programme can provide effective support for mothers who lack sensitivity in the interactions with their infants.

Parent relationship quality and infant–mother attachment

This project examined interrelations between father–mother conflict, father support of mother, maternal behavior, and infant–mother attachment within a sample of 79 African American families living in a highly stressed urban community. Father support of mother was not related to maternal parenting behavior or infant attachment. Conflicted mother–father relationships were associated with problematic maternal behavior, low maternal sensitivity, infant attachment insecurity, and infant attachment disorganization. The associations between parental conflict and both infant attachment disorganization and insecurity were buffered in families in which fathers co-resided with the mother. Consistent with theory and prior research, links were also observed between maternal sensitive-responsiveness and infant attachment security and between problematic maternal parenting and infant attachment disorganization. However, maternal parenting behavior did not mediate the relation between parental conflict and infant attachment. Results are discussed with respect to whether and under what circumstances child exposure to parent conflict can have a direct effect on infant–mother attachment that is not mediated through dyadic infant–mother interaction.

Relations Among Child Negative Emotionality, Parenting Stress, and Maternal Sensitive Responsiveness in Early Childhood

SYNOPSIS Objective. This short-term longitudinal study focuses on relations between preschool-aged childrens' perceived “difficult” temperament (defined as high negative emotionality) and observed maternal sensitive responsiveness in the context of maternal parenting stress. Design. Participants were fifty-nine 3-year-olds and their mothers. Mothers completed questionnaires for child temperament and parenting stress. Maternal sensitive responsiveness was observed during a structured play session in the home three to five months later. Results. The relation between higher levels of child negative emotionality and greater maternal sensitive responsiveness was qualified by an interaction between parenting stress and sex of the child. In boys, higher levels of negative emotionality were associated with greater maternal sensitive responsiveness, but only for mothers experiencing low parenting stress. In girls, higher levels of negative emotionality were associated with greater maternal sensitive responsiveness, but only for mothers experiencing high parenting stress. Conclusion. The degree to which mothers from middle to high socioeconomic backgrounds can adapt their behavior to the needs of their children depends on child negative emotionality, experienced parenting stress, and the sex of the child.

The importance of parenting in the development of disorganized attachment: evidence from a preventive intervention study in adoptive families

As infant disorganized attachment is a serious risk factor for later child psychopathology, it is important to examine whether attachment disorganization can be prevented or reduced. In a randomized intervention study involving 130 families with 6-month-old adopted infants, two attachment-based intervention programs were tested. In the first program, mothers were provided a personal book, and in the second program mothers received the same personal book and three home-based sessions of video feedback. The third group did not receive intervention (control group). The intervention with video feedback and the personal book resulted in enhanced maternal sensitive responsiveness (d=.65). Children of mothers who received this intervention were less likely to be classified as disorganized attached at the age of 12 months (d=.46), and received lower scores on the rating scale for disorganization than children in the control group (d=.62). In the book-only intervention group children showed lower disorganization ratings compared to the control group, but no effect on the number of infants with disorganized attachment classifications was found. Our short-term preventive intervention program with video feedback and a book lowered the rate of disorganized attachment. The effectiveness of our intervention documents the importance of parenting in the development of infant attachment disorganization.

Stress and coping in high-risk mothers: difficult life circumstances, psychiatric-mental health symptoms, education, and experiences in their families of origin.

A pilot study was conducted to test methods and measures used to assess factors related to stress and coping in high-risk mothers and their effect on parenting. Twenty mothers with 12-month-old toddlers were recruited from a WIC population; they came into an observational laboratory where they were interviewed about stressors in their lives and their symptoms of stress and were videotaped interacting with their children. Maternal difficult life circumstances, psychiatric-mental health symptoms, education, maternal experiences in their families of origin, and parenting stress explained 74% of the variance in maternal sensitive-responsiveness with their toddlers in the laboratory setting. The findings support the methods of the study. Clinical implications and implications for future research to assist in the development of interventions for this population are discussed. Increased attention to screening for maternal psychiatric-mental health symptoms and for negative experiences in mothers' families of origin may provide important opportunities for intervention with these mothers.

Maternal psychological vulnerability and early infant care in a sample of materially disadvantaged women

This study examined the relative contributions of maternal psychological vulnerability, adversity and deprivation to early infant care in a sample of multiply disadvantaged families. A major objective was to examine distinctive features of infant care which might help to explain the association between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and a variety of indicators of socio-economic disadvantage. Three home visits were made in the first 2 postnatal months. Detailed descriptive data about infant care practices were collected and maternal sensitive responsiveness towards the baby and practical child-centredness within the household were measured. Two components of psychological vulnerability, depression and personality disorder, were examined. Levels of adversity in the woman's life, the quality of her relationships and the emotional context and adversity related to the baby were also examined. High psychological vulnerability, rather than high deprivation or high adversity, was associated with lower levels of maternal responsiveness and child-centredness. In addition, lower levels of maternal responsiveness and child-centredness and aspects of infant care were related to negative feelings about being a mother, and to perceiving the baby as difficult. The study findings highlight the importance of including maternal psychological vulnerability in future studies of the impact of social disadvantage on infant care.

Maternal psychological vulnerability and early infant care in a sample of materially disadvantaged women

This study examined the relative contributions of maternal psychological vulnerability, adversity and deprivation to early infant care in a sample of multiply disadvantaged families. A major objective was to examine distinctive features of infant care which might help to explain the association between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and a variety of indicators of socio-economic disadvantage. Three home visits were made in the first 2 postnatal months. Detailed descriptive data about infant care practices were collected and maternal sensitive responsiveness towards the baby and practical child-centredness within the household were measured. Two components of psychological vulnerability, depression and personality disorder, were examined. Levels of adversity in the woman's life, the quality of her relationships and the emotional context and adversity related to the baby were also examined. High psychological vulnerability, rather than high deprivation or high adversity, was associated with lower levels of maternal responsiveness and child-centredness. In addition, lower levels of maternal responsiveness and child-centredness and aspects of infant care were related to negative feelings about being a mother, and to perceiving the baby as difficult. The study findings highlight the importance of including maternal psychological vulnerability in future studies of the impact of social disadvantage on infant care.

Attachment‐based intervention in adoptive families in infancy and children's development at age 7: Two follow‐up studies

In the present study we examined the longitudinal effects of an early attachmentbased intervention on children's social development, personality development, and incidence of behaviour problems at age 7. The behaviourally focused intervention was carried out in families with internationally, transracially adopted children placed before 6 months of age. The intervention was implemented during the child's first year of life in mixed families (i.e. adoptive families with biological children) and in all‐adoptive families (i.e. adoptive families without biological children). In the small sample of mixed families (N = 35), we found delayed positive intervention effects at age 7 on ego‐resiliency and optimal ego‐control in girls, and on internalizing behaviour problems in both boys and girls. In all‐adoptive families (N = 112), the intervention had been effective in changing maternal sensitive responsiveness, security of attachment, and infant exploratory competence in early childhood, but enduring intervention effects could not be traced at the child's age of 7.

The Development and Adjustment of 7-year-old Children Adopted in Infancy

The present study (NO= 159) provides evidence of an increased risk for behavior problems of infant-placed 7-year-old internationally, transracially adopted children in the Netherlands. However, parents reported more behavior problems for adopted boys than for adopted girls. Notably, about 30% of the adopted children were classified as clinical on the CBCL scale for total problems, which is a much larger percentage than the 10% found in the normative population. It was suggested that these results could be explained by the operation of multiple risk factors before and after adoption placement, e.g. the child's genetic disposition, pre-natal and pre-adoption care, or the child's cognitive understanding of adoption in middle childhood. Also, results suggest that maternal sensitive responsiveness in adoptive families declines in the transition from early to middle childhood. In contrast to the home setting, the adopted children showed favorable behavioral and socioemotional adjustment at school, while their academic achievement and intelligence were in the normal range or above average. In particular Korean children had high IQs: 31% of these children obtained an intelligence score above 120. It was suggested that adoptive parents seem to offer their children sufficient or even more than average cognitive stimulation. Furthermore, adopted girls scored higher in optimal ego-control, social competence, and peer group popularity than nonadopted girls from the general population: 30% of the adopted girls were rated as popular by their classmates, which compares favorably to the 13% found in the general school population.

The Development and Adjustment of 7‐year‐old Children Adopted in Infancy

The present study (N = 159) provides evidence of an increased risk for behavior problems of infant-placed 7-year-old internationally, transracially adopted children in the Netherlands. However, parents reported more behavior problems for adopted boys than for adopted girls. Notably, about 30% of the adopted children were classified as clinical on the CBCL scale for total problems, which is a much larger percentage than the 10% found in the normative population. It was suggested that these results could be explained by the operation of multiple risk factors before and after adoption placement, e.g. the child's genetic disposition, pre-natal and pre-adoption care, or the child's cognitive understanding of adoption in middle childhood. Also, results suggest that maternal sensitive responsiveness in adoptive families declines in the transition from early to middle childhood. In contrast to the home setting, the adopted children showed favorable behavioral and socioemotional adjustment at school, while their academic achievement and intelligence were in the normal range or above average. In particular Korean children had high IQs: 31% of these children obtained an intelligence score above 120. It was suggested that adoptive parents seem to offer their children sufficient or even more than average cognitive stimulation. Furthermore, adopted girls scored higher in optimal ego-control, social competence, and peer group popularity than nonadopted girls from the general population: 30% of the adopted girls were rated as popular by their classmates, which compares favorably to the 13% found in the general school population.

Patterns of mother–infant interaction and contingency learning in full-term infants

This study explores the link between sensitive mother–infant interaction and the full-term infant's ability to detect and learn simple contingency relationships. The focus is mainly on contingent responsiveness, predictability of interactional behaviours, and their developmental outcomes. It is hypothesized that infants who lack maternal contingent responses are less able to detect and learn contingency relations in the environment. We considered as well the influence of infant interactional behaviours on contingency learning performance. A sample of 48 healthy full-term, first born infants and their mothers of middle socioeconomic status, were observed when the infants were 23–25 weeks old. Each dyad was videotaped for 6 minutes during face-to-face and object–play interaction, following which the infants took part in a contingency learning experiment. Rating scales were used to assess the quality of interactive behaviour displayed by the mother and the child. Measures of contingency learning and motivation to control the feedback were derived from the observation of behavioural and temporal patterns of response. The results indicate a positive relationship between maternal sensitive responsiveness and low intrusiveness with the infant's ability to detect and control the contingency at six months of age; infant's interactional behaviours were not associated with this kind of skill. Data are discussed in light of the relevance of a contingent support for the development of basic cognitive skills, as well as for the motivation to control non-social events. ©1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.