Infant face interest is associated with voice information and maternal psychological health

Early infant interest in their mother's face is driven by an experience based face processing system, and is associated with maternal psychological health, even within a non clinical community sample. The present study examined the role of the voice in eliciting infants’ interest in mother and stranger faces and in the association between infant face interest and maternal psychological health.Infants aged 3.5-months were shown photographs of their mother's and a stranger's face paired with an audio recording of their mother's and a stranger's voice that was either matched (e.g., mother's face and voice) or mismatched (e.g., mother's face and stranger's voice). Infants spent more time attending to the stranger's matched face and voice than the mother's matched face and voice and the mismatched faces and voices. Thus, infants demonstrated an earlier preference for a stranger's face when given voice information than when the face is presented alone. In the present sample, maternal psychological health varied with 56.7% of mothers reporting mild mood symptoms (depression, anxiety or stress response to childbirth). Infants of mothers with significant mild maternal mood symptoms looked longer at the faces and voices compared to infants of mothers who did not report mild maternal mood symptoms. In sum, infants’ experience based face processing system is sensitive to their mothers’ maternal psychological health and the multimodal nature of faces.     

Infant interest in their mother's face is associated with maternal psychological health

Early experience can alter infants’ interest in faces in their environment. This study investigated the relationship between maternal psychological health, mother–infant bonding, and infant face interest in a community sample. A visual habituation paradigm was used to independently assess 3.5-month old infants’ attention to a photograph of their mother's face and a stranger's face. In this sample of 54 healthy mother–infant pairs, 57% of mothers (N = 31) reported symptoms of at least one of stress response to trauma, anxiety, or depression. Interest in the mother-face, but not stranger-face, was positively associated with the mother's psychological health. In regression analyses, anxiety and depression predicted 9% of the variance in looking to the mother-face. Anxiety was the only significant predictor within the model. No direct associations were found between mother–infant bonding and infants’ face interest. Taken together, these findings indicate that infant's visual engagement with their mother's face varies with maternal symptoms of emotional distress, even within a community sample.     

A dimensional approach to maternal attachment state of mind: relations to maternal sensitivity and maternal autonomy support

The aim of this study was to examine the developmental significance of the newly developed dimensional approach to attachment state of mind by investigating its capacity to predict individual differences in the quality of two caregiving behaviors-maternal sensitivity and maternal autonomy support-that are linked to numerous important child outcomes. Seventy-one upper-middle-class, predominantly French-speaking and Caucasian dyads participated in 3 home visits (34 girls). The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was administered when the infants were 8 months old, maternal sensitivity was assessed when they were 12 months old, and maternal autonomy support was assessed at 15 months. The results revealed that, above and beyond SES, maternal sensitivity was negatively related to the dismissing dimension of the AAI, whereas maternal autonomy support was negatively linked to the preoccupied/unresolved dimension. In contrast, the traditional AAI categories were not significantly linked to parenting. These results speak to the relevance of using a continuous approach to attachment state of mind when predicting individual differences in specific caregiving behaviors.     

Infant assessment as intervention and parent education

The importance of involving parents as active participants in the process of infant assessment is discussed. Presented are techniques for facilitating this involvement which can maximize the possibility that parents will follow through on educational plans. Use of this type of assessment is a form of intervention.     

A family systems approach to child–parent separation: 'developmental closure'

This paper presents a family systems model for considering the interactive events that occur when a child and parent move towards closing their relationship and separating. This process typically involves the child being 'received into care' and is identified as developmental closure . Different stages of this process are exemplified clinically and the therapeutic principles that guide work with families struggling with such difficulties are outlined.     

Infant pattern vision: A new approach based on the contrast sensitivity function

Current approaches to the study of infant pattern vision have yielded interesting findings but have not yielded a set of data or principles from which general predictions can be drawn. We propose an alternative approach based on measurements of the contrast sensitivity function (CSF). This approach has been successfully applied to the study of adult vision. In principle, the approach allows one to predict the detectability of a wide variety of two-dimensional patterns if one knows the observer's CSF. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, CSFs of 1-, 2-, and 3-month infants were measured using a fixation preference paradigm. The results indicated noteworthy development between 1 and 3 months particularly in sensitivity to high spatial frequencies (fine stripes). The low-frequency attenuation characteristic of adult vision is observed at 2 and 3 months but not always at 1. In Experiment 2, CSFs of 2-month infants were measured at a lower luminance level. The results indicated that low-frequency attenuation became less pronounced as would be predicted if it were a manifestation of lateral inhibitory processing. The manner in which the CSF can be used to make general predictions is described. The CSFs of Experiment 1 are then used to successfully predict infants' detection of patterns used in two frequently cited experiments. We also propose a simple model of infant pattern preference and show that the model accurately predicts the results of a number of well-known experiments.     

Infant information-processing performance and maternal education

Relations between maternal education and indices of infant information-processing performance were examined. A sample of 93 3-month olds whose mothers' completed education level was adequately distributed were seen in an infant control habituation procedure. Eighteen infants failed to complete the procedure, and 76 reached a conventional habituation criterion. No significant differences in habituation performance by maternal education level emerged. This finding suggests that information-processing indices obtained in the first 6 months are useful as predictive measures of mental development that are uncorrelated with important markers of infants' environmental rearing conditions.     

Infant attachment security and maternal predictors of early behavior problems: A longitudinal study of low-income families

In a longitudinal study of 100 low-income, mother-infant dyads, assessments of infant attachment security and maternal responsivity, involvement, depressive symptomatology, and perceived infant difficulty were used to predict later behavior problems at age 3. Attachment insecurity was related to behavior problems at age 3 when all insecure classifications were combined into one group and when insecurity was maintained at 12 and 18 months. For boys only, maternal depressive symptoms and low maternal involvement were associated with age 3 behavior problems. For girls, perceived difficult temperament at ages 1 and 2 were associated with later problem behavior.     

The Infant mental health specialist in newborn pediatric rounds: A systems approach

This article describes a special program wherein infant mental health specialists participate in hospital rounds with pediatric residents. The purpose of the program is described in terms of medical awareness of psycho-social needs of the family and improved clinical services. Examples are given of the way in which “rounding” contributes to the meeting of infants' and families' medical and psychological needs. Note is made of the multilevel impact of this collaboration.     

Body size estimation in early adolescence: factors associated with perceptual accuracy in a nonclinical sample

This study investigated body size estimation in Norwegian adolescents (aged 12-15; N=406) using a distorting photograph technique. The percentage of over- or underestimation was calculated for pictures of the subject, other persons and a neutral object. The Eating Disorders Inventory for Children (EDI-C) was also completed. Among adolescents at risk of eating problems, girls tended to overestimate their own body size while boys showed a pattern of underestimation, compared to a relatively accurate body perception for low-risk subjects. The groups did not differ in the perception of the neutral object. Important predictors of perceived body size included the size estimation of other children, preoccupation with weight and shape, self-esteem, and emotional instability. The results support the predictive value of body size estimation. Gender differences in judgement bias can be interpreted within present aesthetic ideals and their relation to self perception, body image, and eating problems in adolescence.     

Fears in clinic-referred children: relations with child anxiety sensitivity, maternal overcontrol, and maternal phobic anxiety

Relations among maternal phobic anxiety, maternal overcontrol, child anxiety sensitivity, and child level of fear were explored in 156 children referred to an outpatient clinic for psychological evaluation. In addition, these relations were examined separately in analyses of age, gender, and diagnostic status. Overall, age, gender, and child anxiety sensitivity, along with maternal ratings of an overly controlling parenting strategy were significant predictors of levels of fear. These four variables predicted approximately 50% of the variance associated with fear levels. Surprisingly, maternal phobic anxiety was not a significant predictor in this sample of clinic-referred children. In separate analyses of age, gender, and diagnostic status (presence or absence of an anxiety disorder), anxiety sensitivity was a significant predictor of fear levels for both older and younger children, for both boys and girls, and for both children with and without an anxiety disorder. However, maternal overly controlling parenting strategy was significant only for the younger children (and not the older ones) and only for girls (and not boys). Moreover, maternal overcontrol was a marginally significant predictor for the anxiety-disorder group (and not the non-anxiety-disordered group). Results are discussed within a developmental framework, and implications for treatment are explored.     

Infant responsiveness and maternal confidence in the neonatal period

Responsiveness in prematurely and term-born infants was studied cross-sectionally in relation to maternal confidence. Orientation and arousal were measured in 140 prematurely (mean BW 1,398 g, GA 30.1 weeks) and 75 term-born infants (mean BW 3,613 g, GA 39.3 weeks) with the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scales. Mothers filled out the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire and a modified version of the Parenting Stress Index. Prematurely born infants had a significantly lower level of arousal than term-born neonates. Responsiveness was not associated with maternal confidence. Lower confidence was associated with primiparity in both groups of mothers. Multiparous mothers of prematurely born infants had significantly lower levels of confidence than multiparous mothers of term-born infants. Confidence was significantly associated with stress for mothers of prematurely and term-born infants, and may be focused in follow-up after giving birth. Prematurely born infants should be examined more thoroughly in aspects of arousal at the time of discharge.     

Factors associated with the mental health of adolescents when a parent has cancer

This study explored factors associated with the mental health in adolescents (ages 11-17; n = 54) within 12 months after a parent had been diagnosed with cancer. A control group was included (ages 11-17; n = 49). A demographic questionnaire, the SF-8 Health Survey, the Youth Self Report and the McMaster Family Assessment Device were used. Similar levels of psychological distress and healthy family functioning were reported in the clinical and the control group. No effect of gender of the ill parent and that of the adolescent was found. A negative correlation was found between the physical health of the ill parent and the mental health of the adolescent. Healthy family functioning correlated with less psychological distress in adolescents with a parent with cancer. Open communication, flexible problem solving and appropriate affective involvement were significant predictors for less psychological distress in the adolescents. The study concludes that a healthy family functioning facilitated the adolescent's adjustment to parental cancer.     

My mother is sensitive,but I am too tired to know: Infant sleep as a moderator of prospective relations between maternal sensitivity and infant outcomes

This study investigated the moderating role of infant sleep in the connections between maternal sensitivity and three indicators of infant functioning: attachment security, theory of mind, and executive functioning (EF). Maternal sensitivity was assessed when infants (27 girls and 36 boys) were 1 year of age. Infant sleep was assessed with actigraphy at age 2; attachment security, theory of mind, and EF were also assessed at age 2. Results indicated that maternal sensitivity was positively related to attachment security only among infants who got more sleep at night, and to conflict-EF and theory of mind only for infants who got greater proportions of their sleep during the night. These results suggest that sleep may enhance the benefits of maternal sensitivity for some aspects of infants’ functioning, providing further support for the importance of sleep maturation as a salient developmental task of infancy.     

A comprehensive and systematic approach to parent education

Abstract

This paper emphasizes the importance of parent education, particularly in our current rapidly changing society. The history of parent education is briefly reviewed and a new program called STEP, Systematic Training for Effective Parenting is discussed in detail.     

Infant behavioral responses to infant-directed singing and other maternal interactions

Seventy, 6-9-month-old infants were videotaped during six interactions: mother sings assigned song, "stranger" sings assigned song, mother sings song of choice, mother reads book, mother plays with toy, and mother and infant listen to recorded music. Infant-directed (ID) singing conditions elicited moderately positive cognitive behavior, low levels of positive physical behavior and minimal amounts of vocal behaviors, mostly negative. Across all conditions, cognitive scores remained positive at low to moderate levels. Physical responses were most positive during book and toy, most negative during recorded music, and differed by gender, especially during ID singing. Vocally, infants responded positively to toy, and 8-month-old infants vocalized more than younger infants, particularly during ID singing conditions. ID singing appears just as effective as book reading or toy play in sustaining infant attention and far more effective than listening to recorded music, while interactions involving objects may provide opportunity for shared attention.     

Infant temperament and maternal parenting self-efficacy predict child weight outcomes

Relationships between infant negative reactivity and self-regulation, parenting self-efficacy, and child weight outcomes were examined. Greater observed negative reactivity predicted more child weight gain when mothers had lower parenting self-efficacy. Lower mother-reported self-regulation predicted a greater child weight status. Results highlight potential early risk/protective factors.