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Sjolseth SR, Frosch CA, Owen MT, Redig SL. Do toys get in the way? The duration of shared emotional experiences is longer when mothers engage their infants without toys. Infant Ment Health J 2024; 45:3-10. [PMID: 38049946 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.22092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
During mother-infant interaction, shared emotional experiences, defined as reciprocal and synchronous emotional sharing between mother and infant, are an indicator of early relational health. Yet, it is unclear how mothers' efforts to engage with their infants relate to dyadic-level shared emotional experiences. Utilizing a sample of 80 randomly selected videos of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, we examined how mothers' bids for interaction with their 6-month-old infants related to the duration of shared emotional experiences. An event sampling, sequential coding system was used to identify a maternal bid for interaction (i.e., with toy, without toy) and the subsequent presence or absence of a shared emotional experience, including duration of the shared emotional experience. Results indicated that shared emotional experiences were longer following mothers' efforts to engage their infants in play without toys. Findings suggest that methods matter; researchers and practitioners interested in studying and promoting shared emotional experiences between mothers and infants may wish to focus on dyadic interactions without toys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila R Sjolseth
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, USA
| | - Cynthia A Frosch
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, USA
| | - Margaret Tresch Owen
- Department of Psychology, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, USA
| | - Samantha L Redig
- Department of Psychology, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, USA
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Jiang Z, Liang X, Wang Z, Lin Y, Zhang L. Intrusive parenting in early childhood: A review and meta-analysis. Psych J 2023. [PMID: 36894303 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis examines similarities and differences in intrusive parenting between mothers and fathers and relations between intrusive parenting and early childhood development. The authors integrated 55 studies and differentiated cognitive skills and socio-emotional problems as developmental outcomes. The present study employs three-level meta-analyses to reliably estimate effect sizes and examine a range of moderators. It finds a moderate effect size of similarities in intrusive parenting within a family (r = 0.256, confidence interval [CI] = [0.180, 0.329]). No significant differences were observed in intrusiveness level between mothers and fathers (g = 0.035, CI = [-0.034, 0.103]). Intrusive parenting had a significant positive association with children's socio-emotional problems (rmother = 0.098, CImother = [0.051, 0.145]; rfather = 0.094, CI father = [0.032, 0.154]) but was not related to cognitive skills. Moderator analyses suggest that East Asian mothers exhibit higher intrusiveness levels than fathers, whereas Western parents display no significant differences. Overall, these results reveal more similarities than differences in intrusive parenting and that culture likely plays a role in shaping gender-specific parenting behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixin Jiang
- Research Center for Child Development, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xi Liang
- Research Center for Child Development, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengyan Wang
- Research Center for Child Development, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yige Lin
- Research Center for Child Development, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Linlin Zhang
- Research Center for Child Development, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
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Ludwig RJ, Welch MG. Wired to Connect: The Autonomic Socioemotional Reflex Arc. Front Psychol 2022; 13:841207. [PMID: 35814106 PMCID: PMC9268160 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.841207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We have previously proposed that mothers and infants co-regulate one another’s autonomic state through an autonomic conditioning mechanism, which starts during gestation and results in the formation of autonomic socioemotional reflexes (ASRs) following birth. Theoretically, autonomic physiology associated with the ASR should correlate concomitantly with behaviors of mother and infant, although the neuronal pathway by which this phenomenon occurs has not been elucidated. In this paper, we consider the neuronal pathway by which sensory stimuli between a mother and her baby/child affect the physiology and emotional behavior of each. We divide our paper into two parts. In the first part, to gain perspective on current theories on the subject, we conduct a 500-year narrative history of scientific investigations into the human nervous system and theories that describe the neuronal pathway between sensory stimulus and emotional behavior. We then review inconsistencies between several currently accepted theories and recent data. In the second part, we lay out a new theory of emotions that describes how sensory stimuli between mother and baby unconsciously control the behavior and physiology of both. We present a theory of mother/infant emotion based on a set of assumptions fundamentally different from current theories. Briefly, we propose that mother/infant sensory stimuli trigger conditional autonomic socioemotional reflexes (ASRs), which drive cardiac function and behavior without the benefit of the thalamus, amygdala or cortex. We hold that the ASR is shaped by an evolutionarily conserved autonomic learning mechanism (i.e., functional Pavlovian conditioning) that forms between mother and fetus during gestation and continues following birth. We highlight our own and others research findings over the past 15 years that support our contention that mother/infant socioemotional behavior is driven by mutual autonomic state plasticity, as opposed to cortical trait plasticity. We review a novel assessment tool designed to measure the behaviors associated with the ASR phenomenon. Finally, we discuss the significance of our theory for the treatment of mothers and infants with socioemotional disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Ludwig
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Robert J. Ludwig,
| | - Martha G. Welch
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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Rosenblum KL, Riggs J, Freeman S, Shah PE, Muzik M. In-the-moment ratings on the Early Relational Health Screen: A pilot study of application in home visiting and primary care. Infant Ment Health J 2022; 43:410-423. [PMID: 35579377 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Early infant-parent interaction sets a critical foundation for young children's well-being, and evidence regarding the protective role of secure early relationships has led to increased interest in effective screening and promotion of early relational health in pediatric primary care and home visiting settings. We report findings from two pilot studies conducted in the United States that describe the reliability and validity of a relational health screening tool, the Early Relational Health Screen (ERHS), implemented in two different contexts: an innovative model of relational health promotion in pediatric primary care (Study 1) and an Infant Mental Health Home Visiting (IMH-HV) model (Study 2). Across both studies, a trained clinician rated the ERHS following real-time observation of interaction (i.e., "in-the-moment" ratings). Reliability was assessed by comparing "in-the-moment" ERHS ratings to subsequent coding of the same interaction from video by an independent evaluator. In addition, Study 2 data permitted evaluation of the validity of "in-the-moment" ERHS ratings. Results from both studies indicated reliability of "in-the-moment" ERHS ratings. In addition, Study 2 clinician "in-the-moment" ratings were associated with maternal depression and ratings of child-parent interaction derived from a separate observational task coded by independent evaluators using a different well-validated research-based measure. Discussion highlights the potential of the ERHS as a screening, promotion, and prevention tool that may be feasibly administered by providers across pediatric primary care and home visiting settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine L Rosenblum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jessica Riggs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Sarah Freeman
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
| | - Prachi E Shah
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Maria Muzik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Goodman SH, Muzik M, Simeonova DI, Kidd SA, Owen MT, Cooper B, Kim CY, Rosenblum KL, Weiss SJ. Maternal Interaction With Infants Among Women at Elevated Risk for Postpartum Depression. Front Psychol 2022; 13:737513. [PMID: 35310268 PMCID: PMC8929344 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.737513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Ample research links mothers’ postpartum depression (PPD) to adverse interactions with their infants. However, most studies relied on general population samples, whereas a substantial number of women are at elevated depression risk. The purpose of this study was to describe mothers’ interactions with their 6- and 12-month-old infants among women at elevated risk, although with a range of symptom severity. We also identified higher-order factors that best characterized the interactions and tested longitudinal consistency of these factors from 6 to 12 months of infant age. We leveraged data from eight projects across the United States (n = 647), using standardized depression measures and an adaptation of the NICHD Mother-Infant Interaction Scales. Overall, these depression-vulnerable mothers showed high levels of sensitivity and positive regard and low levels of intrusiveness, detachment, and negative regard with their infants. Factor analyses of maternal behaviors identified two overarching factors—“positive engagement” and “negative intrusiveness” that were comparable at 6 and 12 months of infant age. Mothers’ ability to regulate depressed mood was a key behavior that defined “positive engagement” in factor loadings. An exceptionally strong loading of intrusiveness on the second factor suggested its central importance for women at elevated depression risk. Mothers with severe depressive symptoms had significantly more “negative intrusiveness” and less “positive engagement” with their 6-month-old infants than women with moderate or fewer depressive symptoms, suggesting a potential tipping point at which symptoms may interfere with the quality of care. Results provide the foundation for further research into predictors and moderators of women’s interactions with their infant among women at elevated risk for PPD. They also indicate a need for evidence-based interventions that can support more severely depressed women in providing optimal care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Muzik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | | | - Sharon A. Kidd
- Department of Community Health Systems, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Margaret Tresch Owen
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Bruce Cooper
- Department of Community Health Systems, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Christine Y. Kim
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University Park, PA, United States
| | - Katherine L. Rosenblum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Sandra J. Weiss
- Department of Community Health Systems, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Sandra J. Weiss,
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