PATERNAL AND MATERNAL REFLECTIVE FUNCTIONING IN THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PEEL CHILD HEALTH STUDY

While past research on the care of infants has been mostly with mothers, in recent times there has been a renewed attention to the father–infant relationship. This study examined differences between mother and father parental reflective functioning (PRF) or parental mentalizing; that is, the parental capacity to reason about their own and their children's behaviors by taking into consideration intentional mental states. Data were collected from 120 couples with a 1‐year‐old child who were participants in the West Australian Peel Child Health Study. Parental mentalizing was assessed using the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ; Luyten, Mayes, Nijssens, & Fonagy, 2017 ). Results showed that mother and father mentalizing with their children was independent and that mothers scored slightly higher levels of mentalizing than did fathers. Paternal mentalizing was weakly associated with family income and father education, and was more strongly associated with family functioning than with maternal mentalizing. Implications for theorizing on PRF and fatherhood more generally are discussed.     

Factors influencing maternal attack on conspecific intruders by lactating female “TO” strain mice

Factors regulating maternal attack in “TO” strain mice were investigated to determine 1) optimal conditions for inducing this behaviour and 2) the likely utility of this activity. Lactating females were more likely to attack male intruders than female intruders. The mate's presence reduced maternal attack in this strain, or (putting it conversely) aggression was generated in the male's absence. Removal of the mothers from their litters for four to five hours also suppressed maternal attack. Investigation of the bite targets in the maternal attack suggested that it is a defensive, rather than an offensive, response.     

Maternal odor shapes rapid face categorization in the infant brain

To successfully interact with a rich and ambiguous visual environment, the human brain learns to differentiate visual stimuli and to produce the same response to subsets of these stimuli despite their physical difference. Although this visual categorization function is traditionally investigated from a unisensory perspective, its early development is inherently constrained by multisensory inputs. In particular, an early‐maturing sensory system such as olfaction is ideally suited to support the immature visual system in infancy by providing stability and familiarity to a rapidly changing visual environment. Here, we test the hypothesis that rapid visual categorization of salient visual signals for the young infant brain, human faces, is shaped by another highly relevant human‐related input from the olfactory system, the mother's body odor. We observe that a right‐hemispheric neural signature of single‐glance face categorization from natural images is significantly enhanced in the maternal versus a control odor context in individual 4‐month‐old infant brains. A lack of difference between odor conditions for the common brain response elicited by both face and non‐face images rules out a mere enhancement of arousal or visual attention in the maternal odor context. These observations show that face‐selective neural activity in infancy is mediated by the presence of a (maternal) body odor, providing strong support for multisensory inputs driving category acquisition in the developing human brain and having important implications for our understanding of human perceptual development.     

Post-discharge outcomes for mothers and the mother–infant relationship following admission to a psychiatric Mother–Baby Unit

Mother–Baby Unit research has focussed on maternal psychopathology over the course of an admission. Less is known about the baby's well-being, the shared relationship, or the mother's recovery. In an initial sample of 45 women, we describe discharge and post-discharge outcomes for maternal psychopathology (using maternal report and the Global Assessment of Function, GAF) and the mother–infant relationship (using the Child and Adult Relational Experimental Index, CARE Index). Three months post-discharge, one third of women described themselves as “completely recovered,” one third were experiencing significant deterioration and 17% were readmitted to inpatient care. Poorer GAF scores were associated with a clinical diagnosis of comorbid personality disorder, antenatal presence of the index illness, partner illicit substance use, maternal perception of her bond, infant social withdrawal, and child protection concern. Post-discharge, the mother–infant relationship results were concerning. Only 17% were regarded as adequate. Improvement was observed across this period in 56% but relational deterioration occurred for 35%. Maternal and relational outcomes were weakly correlated at discharge (r² = 0.29, p = 0.07) but this was lost post-discharge (r² = 0.03, p = 0.89). The shared relationship and infant mental health should both be targets for intervention; both during MBU admission, and post-discharge.     

青少年早期内化问题的稳定性及其与母亲教养的关系

通过对502名11岁城市青少年为期2年的追踪调查,考察了青少年早期内化问题发展的稳定性及母亲教养对1年后青少年内化问题的预测.结果发现:(1)青少年早期的内化问题具有较高的稳定性,与男青少年相比,女青少年保持较高的内化问题水平;(2)母亲控制惩罚教养可以正向预测1年后男青少年的内化问题,母亲温情引导可以负向预测女青少年的内化问题.青少年先前的内化问题对母亲教养与其1年后内化问题之间关系的调节作用存在性别差异:对于先前内化问题水平较高的男青少年而言,母亲较高的温情引导和控制惩罚教养正向预测其1年后的内化问题;对于先前内化问题水平较高的女青少年而言,母亲较多的温情引导则负向预测其1年后的内化问题.     

投入不足对基层孕产妇保健服务提供的影响

投入不足是影响我国孕产妇保健服务提供的重要因素。通过对项目县的服务提供者和妇幼卫生关键知情人访谈资料的分析,描述服务提供网络及现有资源状况,认为投入不足通过乡镇卫生院院长的重视和支持程度、妇幼专干和村医的工作积极性、人力资源的改善以及设备和设施的改进等六个方面阻碍了孕产妇保健服务的提供。     

母亲心理控制与青少年问题性网络使用：非适应性认知的中介作用

本研究旨在考察母亲心理控制对青少年问题性网络使用（PIU）的直接和间接作用路径,以及这些路径是否受到性别的调节。以四所初级中学660名青少年为被试,要求其报告母亲的心理控制、非适应性网络认知以及问题性网络使用的情况。结果表明：（1）在控制了性别、年龄、家庭经济状况后,母亲心理控制对青少年PIU具有显著的正向预测作用;（2）非适应性认知在母亲心理控制与PIU之间具有部分中介作用;（3）母亲心理控制与PIU的直接关系（包括总效应和残余效应）以及间接关系（包括心理控制与非适应性认知的关系和非适应性认知与PIU的关系）均未受到性别的调节。研究结果说明母亲心理控制既直接影响青少年PIU,同时也通过非适应性认知产生间接影响,这些直接和间接路径在本研究中未表现出性别差异。