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Lahtela H, Nolvi S, Flykt M, Kataja EL, Eskola E, Pelto J, Bridgett DJ, Karlsson H, Karlsson L, Korja R. Mother-infant interaction and maternal postnatal psychological distress are associated with negative emotional reactivity among infants and toddlers- A FinnBrain Birth Cohort study. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 72:101843. [PMID: 37285708 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Studies have reported mixed findings regarding the effects of mother-infant interaction and maternal distress on children's negative emotional reactivity. In the current study (N = 134 and 107), we examined the effects of maternal Emotional Availability (sensitivity, structuring, non-intrusiveness and non-hostility) and maternal psychological distress on negative reactivity among children in the FinnBrain birth cohort study. In addition, the possible moderating effect of mother-infant interaction on the associations between maternal psychological distress and children's negative reactivity was examined. We used questionnaires to asses maternal psychological distress, observations of mother-infant interaction and observations as well maternal reports of child temperament to overcome the key limitations of many studies relying on single-method assessments. Our results showed that higher maternal sensitivity and structuring at 8 months of child's age were associated with lower mother-reported negative reactivity among children at 24 months. Higher maternal postnatal distress associated with higher parent-reported negative reactivity in children at 12 and 24 months of age when the effects of prenatal distress and the quality of mother-infant interaction were controlled for. Mother-infant interaction and maternal psychological distress did not associate with observations of child negative reactivity. We found no moderation effects of mother-infant interaction regarding the associations between maternal distress and children's negative emotional reactivity. Our findings reflect the importance of developing interventions to reduce the maternal distress symptoms while enhancing maternal sensitivity and structuring to prevent the possible harmful effects of these on child negative reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hetti Lahtela
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland.
| | - Saara Nolvi
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Marjo Flykt
- Faculty of Medicine, department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland; University of Tampere, Department of Psychology
| | - Eeva-Leena Kataja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Eeva Eskola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Juho Pelto
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; University of Turku, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
| | | | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Finland; Department of Pediatrics, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Finland
| | - Riikka Korja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland
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Crouch JL, Bridgett DJ, Milner JS, Cote K, Lelakowska G, Davila A, McKay E, Savoree S. Prolonged Infant Crying: Caregiving Quality and Child Physical Abuse Risk. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2023; 38:3298-3320. [PMID: 35654573 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221106137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that prolonged infant crying may increase risk for child physical abuse (CPA). However, few studies have examined behavioral responses to infant crying among parents at risk for CPA. The present study sought to fill this gap by using a simulated infant to examine how mothers and fathers with varying degrees of CPA risk respond to prolonged infant crying. Specifically, a sample of 184 general population caregivers (107 mothers and 77 fathers) participated in a task that involved attempting to soothe a simulated infant that cried continuously for 30 min. The simulated infant sessions were video-recorded, and quality of caregiving behavior was coded in 5-min segments. Participants rated their negative affect (feelings of upset, distress, irritability) at the outset of the data collection session, before beginning the simulated infant task, and after the simulated infant task concluded. It was predicted that high-risk caregivers, compared to low-risk caregivers, would display lower quality caregiving, higher levels of negative affect, and that CPA risk group differences would increase over time. Gender differences were explored in relation to the aforementioned hypotheses. Over the course of the 30-min simulated infant task, the quality of caregiving behavior diminished among both high- and low-risk caregivers. As expected, high-risk caregivers, compared to low-risk caregivers, exhibited lower quality caregiving behaviors and were more likely to discontinue the simulated infant task early. In addition, high-risk, compared to low-risk, caregivers reported higher levels of negative affect throughout the data collection session, with the highest level of negative affect reported by high-risk caregivers after completing the simulated infant task. Overall, the quality of caregiving exhibited by men and women did not significantly differ. The present findings highlight the importance of early intervention designed to support caregivers' abilities to respond effectively to prolonged infant crying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie L Crouch
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - David J Bridgett
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Joel S Milner
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Kreila Cote
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Gabriela Lelakowska
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - America Davila
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Erin McKay
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Shelby Savoree
- Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 2848Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
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Hamzallari O, Rosinski L, Petrenko A, Bridgett DJ. Mothers' Emotion Regulation and Negative Affect in Infants: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Knowledge of Parenting Practices. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 10:children10010085. [PMID: 36670636 PMCID: PMC9857287 DOI: 10.3390/children10010085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Early in development, children rely heavily on caregivers for assistance with the regulation of negative emotion. As such, it is important to understand parent characteristics that influence caregiver ability to attenuate infant negative affect and mediating factors by which this process may unfold. This study examined the relationship between parental emotional regulation strategies (ERs) and infants' negative affect and tested the mediating effects of parenting self-efficacy and knowledge of this association. Results indicated that higher maternal reappraisal was related to higher maternal self-efficacy whereas higher maternal suppression was related to lower knowledge of parenting practices. Maternal suppression was negatively related to infant frustration; maternal self-efficacy was positively related to infant falling reactivity and negatively related to sadness. There was a significant indirect effect between maternal reappraisal and infant falling reactivity through maternal self-efficacy. The mediation result suggests that mothers with higher use of reappraisal show higher self-efficacy and have infants with higher falling reactivity. Maternal knowledge about parenting practices was related to lower infant fear. Maternal knowledge of parenting practices did not mediate any associations between maternal emotion regulation strategies and infant negative affect. These findings contribute to the understanding early protective parenting mechanisms for supporting the external regulation of negative affect in infants and also in designing and implementing preventive parenting programs focused on the emotional needs of parents and children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriola Hamzallari
- Department of Psychology, Aleksandër Moisiu University, Rruga Miqësia, Spitallë, 2000 Durrës, Albania
- Correspondence: or (O.H.); (D.J.B.)
| | - Leanna Rosinski
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
| | - Anton Petrenko
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
| | - David J. Bridgett
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
- Correspondence: or (O.H.); (D.J.B.)
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Landsem IP, Handegård BH, Ulvund SE. Temperamental Development among Preterm Born Children. An RCT Follow-Up Study. CHILDREN-BASEL 2020; 7:children7040036. [PMID: 32340334 PMCID: PMC7230507 DOI: 10.3390/children7040036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A randomized controlled trial study recruited 146 preterm born children, either to participate in a modified version of the Mother–Infant Transaction Program (MITP-m) or to receive the usual follow-up services, before and after discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit. This follow-up study investigates whether MITP participation is associated with parental perceptions of child temperament from two to seven years. Children’s temperament was reported by mothers and fathers separately at children’s ages of 2, 3, 5, and 7 years. Parents in the MITP-m group reported lower levels of negative emotionality in their children compared to the control group. In maternal reports, a group effect (F(1, 121) = 9.7, p = 0.002) revealed a stable difference in children’s negative emotionality from two to seven years, while a group-by-time interaction related to an increasing difference was detected in reports from fathers (F(1, 94) = 4.8, p = 0.03). Another group difference appeared in fathers’ reports of children’s soothability (F(1, 100) = 14.2, p < 0.0005). MITP-m fathers seemed to perceive their children as easier to soothe at all ages as no interaction with time appeared. Parental reports on children’s sociality, shyness, and activity did not differ between the groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inger Pauline Landsem
- Child & Adolescent Department, University Hospital of North Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
- Health Research Faculty, UIT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway;
- Correspondence:
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