Maternal Borderline Personality Disorder Severity and Parenting Behaviors During Conflict Discussions With Adolescent Offspring.

Examining the impact of maternal borderline personality disorder (BPD) on parent-child interactions could elucidate pathways of intergenerational risk and inform intervention. The current study used an expanded version of the Observing Mediational Interactions to investigate (a) associations between maternal BPD symptom severity and mediational parenting behaviors during conflict discussions with clinically referred early adolescent offspring (N = 56, age = 10-15, 54% female) and their mothers, and (b) the potential moderating role of early adolescent BPD symptom severity in those associations. Consistent with hypotheses, mothers with higher levels of BPD symptom severity engaged in fewer positive emotional/attachment-based behaviors and more negative (i.e., invalidating, controlling, coercive, or insensitive) parenting behaviors. Only parent-reported, but not self-reported, adolescent BPD severity moderated these associations; maternal BPD severity was significantly associated only with negative parenting in dyads with low-to-moderate levels of parent-reported adolescent BPD severity. We discuss implications including targeting attachment-based and negative parenting behaviors in intervention.

The Effect of Massage on Maternal Role Adaptation in Mothers with Premature Infants.

Background: Accepting and adapting the maternal role by mothers with premature infants is complicated. Active participation of mothers in neonate massage may facilitate this process. Primary Study Objective: Determining the effect of massage on maternal role adaptation in mothers of premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods/Design: A non-parallel quasi-experimental study with a sequential sampling method. Setting: This study was done in the NICU of Imam Ali Hospital in Amol City, Iran. Participants: 90 mothers of premature infants hospitalized in the NICU participated in this study. Intervention: The mothers in the intervention group after receiving two training sessions massaged their infant for 15 minutes daily from the third day of hospitalization for 5 consecutive days. Primary Outcome Measures: A maternal role adaptation questionnaire was used. Participants completed the maternal role adaptation questionnaire 3 times: before, on the fifth day, and 14 days after the first day of intervention. The maternal role adaptation questionnaire was used to assess the maternal role adaptation. The participants of the control group also filled out the questionnaire at similar time. Results: The mean scores of maternal adaptation were significantly different between the two control groups (5th day and 14th day) and intervention (day 5: 136.88 ± 10.062 (P = .025); day 14: 151.93 ± 6 (P < .001)). Maternal role adaptation showed an upward trend in the two groups during the 14 days of study, but this trend was significantly higher in the intervention group over time, compared to the control group. Conclusion: Massage of premature infants facilitates the adaptation to maternal role. It is recommended, along with other nursing interventions, to empower mothers with premature neonates admitted to the NICU.

Home-visiting Parenting Programs to Improve Mother-Infant Interactions at Early Ages: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To systematically review studies examining the effects of home-visiting preventive parenting programs (HV-PPs) on improving the quality of mother-child interactions in early childhood. Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol, we identified 3,586 studies published between 2018 and 2022 by searching the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, BVS/LILACS, SciELO, and PsycNET/PsycINFO. After applying the eligibility criteria, 17 articles were selected for review. Results: Most studies were conducted in high-income countries (53%) and the remainder were conducted in upper-middle-income countries, predominantly using a randomized controlled trial design and with strong methodological quality. The 17 studies applied 13 different HV-PPs, predominantly using video feedback, based on various dosages and schedules. Most studies (77%) showed significant positive effects on mother-child interactions by improving mainly positive maternal behaviors (e.g., sensitivity and responsiveness). Positive effects occurred independent of the study design, sample characteristics, measures, and constructs assessed. However, the findings suggest that the combination of fewer than six sessions, durations shorter than three months, and a very early start did not impact mother-child interactions, as expected. Few studies have explored negative maternal behaviors, children's behaviors, and dyadic interactions such as mutuality and synchrony. Conclusions: HV-PPs positively impacted mother-child interactions in early childhood despite the large heterogeneity across program designs, outcome measures, and overlapping constructs. Based on the results, we discuss the practical and economic implications of using parenting programs as a preventive approach.

Examining the implications of contextual stress and maternal sensitivity for infants' cortisol responses to the still face paradigm.

Infants' hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis responses to acute stressors are theorized to be shaped by parents' sensitive responsiveness to infants' cues. The strength and direction of the association between maternal sensitivity and infants' HPA responses may depend on the context in which maternal sensitivity is observed and on broader environmental sources of stress and support. In this preregistered study, we used data from 105 mothers and their 7-month-old infants to examine whether two empirically identified forms of contextual stress-poor maternal psychosocial wellbeing and family socioeconomic hardship-moderate the association between maternal sensitivity and infants' cortisol responses to the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). Results indicated that maternal sensitivity during the free play and family socioeconomic hardship interacted to predict infants' cortisol responses to the SFP. Specifically, maternal sensitivity during this non-distressing interaction was negatively associated with cortisol responses only among infants whose mothers were experiencing relatively high socioeconomic hardship. Exploratory analyses revealed that poor maternal psychosocial wellbeing was positively associated with overall infant cortisol production during the SFP. Altogether, these findings suggest that experiences within early parent-infant attachment relationships and sources of contextual stress work together to shape infant HPA axis activity.

Mother-infant social and language interactions at 3 months are associated with infants' productive language development in the third year of life.

Previous studies underscore the importance of social interactions for child language development-particularly interactions characterized by maternal sensitivity, infant-directed speech (IDS), and conversational turn-taking (CT) in one-on-one contexts. Although infants engage in such interactions from the third month after birth, the prospective link between speech input and maternal sensitivity in the first half year of life and later language development has been understudied. We hypothesized that social interactions embodying maternal sensitivity, IDS and CTs in the first 3 months of life, are significantly associated with later language development and tested this using a longitudinal design. Using a sample of 40 3-month-old infants, we assessed maternal sensitivity during a structured mother-infant one-on-one (1:1) interaction based on a well-validated scoring system (the Coding Interactive Behavior system). Language input (IDS, CT) was assessed during naturally occurring interactions at home using the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system. Language outcome measures were obtained from 18 to 30 months of age using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory. Three novel findings emerged. First, maternal sensitivity at 3 months was significantly associated with infants' productive language scores at 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30 months of age. Second, LENA-recorded IDS during mother-infant 1:1 interaction in the home environment at 3 months of age was positively correlated with productive language scores at 24, 27, and 30 months of age. Third, mother-infant CTs during 1:1 interaction was significantly associated with infants' productive language scores at 27 and 30 months of age. We propose that infants' social attention to speech during this early period-enhanced by sensitive maternal one-on-one interactions and IDS-are potent factors in advancing language development.

Relationship between maternal anxiety and infants' temperament: The mediating role of mindful parenting.

Research has indicated that maternal anxiety does have an effect on infant temperament. Therefore, it is important to study the variables that could play a role in this relationship. In this study, we propose that mindful parenting could act as a mediator in this relationship. Thus, the main objective was to evaluate the relationship between maternal anxiety and child temperament (i.e., negative affectivity, surgency, and effortful control) through the mindful parenting of mothers. Mothers (N = 225) self-reported their anxiety, mindful parenting use, and the temperament of their old infants (aged 4-18 months). First, the reliability and validity results showed that the infant version of the Interpersonal Mindful Parenting questionnaire was a good tool for the assessment of mindful parenting among parents with infants. The five-factor structure of the questionnaire was confirmed; it involved self-regulation in the parenting relationship, listening with full attention, emotional awareness of the child, compassion for the child, and non-judgmental acceptance of parenting behavior. Correlational analyses showed that maternal anxiety was related to negative affectivity and effortful control in infants. Furthermore, mediational analyses indicated that the relation between maternal anxiety and infant negative affectivity was mediated by self-regulation in parenting and the emotional awareness of the child. In addition, the relation between maternal anxiety and infant effortful control was mediated by compassion for the child and listening with full attention. These results contribute to knowledge about the relation between maternal anxiety and child temperament, which may increase the risk of psychological symptoms. The results of this study suggest that promoting mindful parenting skills may be beneficial for affectivity and effortful control in infants.

Quality of mother-infant interaction, breastfeeding, and perinatal mental health.

INTRODUCTION: The quality of mother-infant interactions is crucial for child development. Studies show that breastfeeding contributes to maternal sensitivity and the development of a positive mother-infant bond. Maternal mental health difficulties negatively impact both maternal sensitivity and breastfeeding. Thus, it is unclear whether breastfeeding contributes to the quality of mother-infant interactions independent from mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine the contribution of exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum to the quality of the mother-infant relationship at 6 months postpartum, controlling for maternal mental health in a community sample of mothers in Chile. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Eighty women completed self-report measures of mental health and breastfeeding during the third trimester of pregnancy and 3 and 6 months postpartum. At 6 months after childbirth, the mother-infant interaction was assessed by coding a free-play session between mothers and infants. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the contribution of breastfeeding practices and mental health to the quality of mother-infant interactions. RESULTS: Exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum increased the likelihood of displaying positive mother-infant interactions controlling for maternal mental health. Mothers who continued to breastfeed at 6 months postpartum reported less symptoms of antenatal depression and anxiety and higher levels of sensitivity and cooperation towards their infants. CONCLUSION: Breastfeeding contributes to maternal sensitivity and cooperation even when controlling for maternal mental health. Implications for health practitioners and limitations due to the sample characteristics are discussed.

Assessing anxiety problems in a community sample during toddlerhood: The impact of child temperament and maternal intrusiveness.

Previous research indicates that child temperament and maternal behaviors are related to internalizing behaviors in children. We assessed whether maternal intrusiveness (MI) observed at 10-months would moderate the impact of temperamental fear and the impact of inhibitory control (IC) at 24 months on anxiety problems at 36 months. A mother-child interaction task was coded for MI. Behavioral tasks were given to assess children's IC. Parents completed questionnaires about their children's temperamental fear and anxiety problems. Results showed that greater temperamental fear reported at 24 months predicted greater anxiety problems reported at 36 months, regardless of MI levels. Lower levels of IC at 24 months predicted more anxiety problems reported at 36 months when children experienced greater MI. These findings illustrate the importance of examining both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, independently and interactively, that contribute to children's anxiety problems in toddlerhood.

Neural correlates of altered emotional responsivity to infant stimuli in mothers who use substances.

Mothers who use substances during pregnancy and postpartum may have altered maternal behavior towards their infants, which can have negative consequences on infant social-emotional development. Since maternal substance use has been associated with difficulties in recognizing and responding to infant emotional expressions, investigating mothers' subjective responses to emotional infant stimuli may provide insight into the neural and psychological processes underlying these differences in maternal behavior. In this study, 39 mothers who used substances during the perinatal period and 42 mothers who did not underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing infant faces and hearing infant cries. Afterwards, they rated the emotional intensity they thought each infant felt ('think'-rating), and how intensely they felt in response to each infant stimulus ('feel'-rating). Mothers who used substances had lower 'feel'-ratings of infant stimuli compared to mothers who did not. Brain regions implicated in affective processing (e.g., insula, inferior frontal gyrus) were less active in response to infant stimuli, and activity in these brain regions statistically predicted maternal substance-use status. Interestingly, 'think'-ratings and activation in brain regions related to cognitive processing (e.g., medial prefrontal cortex) were comparable between the two groups of mothers. Taken together, these results suggest specific neural and psychological processes related to emotional responsivity to infant stimuli may reflect differences in maternal affective processing and may contribute to differences in maternal behavior in mothers who use substances compared to mothers who do not. The findings suggest potential neural targets for increasing maternal emotional responsivity and improving child outcomes.

Investigating Associations Between Maternal Behavior and the Development of Functional Connectivity During the Transition From Late Childhood to Early Adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Parenting behavior is thought to affect child brain development, with implications for mental health. However, longitudinal studies that use whole-brain approaches are lacking. In this study, we investigated associations between parenting behavior, age-related changes in whole-brain functional connectivity, and psychopathology symptoms in children and adolescents. METHODS: Two hundred forty (126 female) children underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at up to two time points, providing a total of 398 scans covering the age range 8 to 13 years. Parenting behavior was self-reported at baseline. Parenting factors (positive parenting, inattentive parenting, and harsh and inconsistent discipline) were identified based on a factor analysis of self-report parenting questionnaires. Longitudinal measures of child internalizing and externalizing symptoms were collected. Network-based R-statistics was used to identify associations between parenting and age-related changes in functional connectivity. RESULTS: Higher maternal inattentive behavior was associated with lower decreases in connectivity over time, particularly between regions of the ventral attention and default mode networks and frontoparietal and default mode networks. However, this association was not significant after strict correction for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: While results should be considered preliminary, they suggest that inattentive parenting may be associated with a reduction in the normative pattern of increased network specialization that occurs with age. This may reflect a delayed development of functional connectivity.

Do Autistic and Depressed Rats Express the Same Type of Maternal Care?

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is more frequently diagnosed in men. Nevertheless, through current diagnostic tools, women have also been found to be affected by this disorder, but in different ways. Few studies have been conducted regarding unique periods of life, such as motherhood. Yet, extant literature has already described the existence of a comorbidity between autism and postpartum depression. Thus, this study aimed to compare the maternal care sphere between two animal models of these diseases. Lactating rats were subdivided into three groups (n = 8 animals/group): 1) control dams; 2) maternal separation (MS) dams, separated from their litter for 3 h daily from lactating day (LD) 2-12 for postpartum depression induction; and 3) valproic acid (VPA) dams, which were the pups of dams treated with 400 mg/kg of VPA (i.p.) on gestational day 12.5 for autism induction. Maternal care tests were performed during lactation and, after weaning, dams were euthanized for the analysis of dopaminergic system on the prefrontal cortex. The results showed an impairment of maternal care of MS dams and an improvement of VPA dams, as well as alterations on dopaminergic system that corroborates the behavior data. These findings indicate that VPA dams express better maternal care, even with cognitive and socialization difficulties. This is probably due to a hyper-focus, as opposed to MS dams, which mimic the maternal care dysfunction expressed by women with postpartum depression.

Across ages and places: Unpredictability of maternal sensory signals and child internalizing behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Patterns of sensory inputs early in life play an integral role in shaping the maturation of neural circuits, including those implicated in emotion and cognition. In both experimental animal models and observational human research, unpredictable sensory signals have been linked to aberrant developmental outcomes, including poor memory and effortful control. These findings suggest that sensitivity to unpredictable sensory signals is conserved across species and sculpts the developing brain. The current study provides a novel investigation of unpredictable maternal sensory signals in early life and child internalizing behaviors. We tested these associations in three independent cohorts to probe the generalizability of associations across continents and cultures. METHOD: The three prospective longitudinal cohorts were based in Orange, USA (n = 163, 47.2 % female, Mage = 1 year); Turku, Finland (n = 239, 44.8 % female, Mage = 5 years); and Irvine, USA (n = 129, 43.4 % female, Mage = 9.6 years). Unpredictability of maternal sensory signals was quantified during free-play interactions. Child internalizing behaviors were measured via parent report (Orange & Turku) and child self-report (Irvine). RESULTS: Early life exposure to unpredictable maternal sensory signals was associated with greater child fearfulness/anxiety in all three cohorts, above and beyond maternal sensitivity and sociodemographic factors. The association between unpredictable maternal sensory signals and child sadness/depression was relatively weaker and did not reach traditional thresholds for statistical significance. LIMITATIONS: The correlational design limits our ability to make causal inferences. CONCLUSIONS: Findings across the three diverse cohorts suggest that unpredictable maternal signals early in life shape the development of internalizing behaviors, particularly fearfulness and anxiety.

Handedness as a major determinant of lateral bias in human functional cradling.

Studies examining infant cradling have almost uniformly concluded with a general human left-side bias for cradling, indicating that people prefer to hold an infant to the left of their body. Explanations for the notion of the left-side cradling bias have traditionally been searched for in a variety of factors, for example, in terms of maternal heartbeat, genetic factors, in the form of an ear asymmetry where auditory information is perceived faster through the left ear, as a result of a right hemispheric functional specialization for perception of emotions and faces, and in identifying a motor bias of the infant, such as the tendency of newborn infants to lie with the face to the right when placed supine. Interestingly, handedness is generally considered an inadequate explanation for the lateralized cradling bias, despite it being an intuitively plausible one. In this brief review, I put forward the cradler's handedness as the most convincing and elegant determinant of the cradling bias. This explanation is consistent with a developmental cascades' framework where the cradling bias can be understood as the result of a multitude of factors across a range of levels and systems.

Conhecimento materno sobre os cuidados bucais das crianças na primeira infância / Maternal knowledge about children's oral care in early childhood / Conocimiento materno sobre elcuidado bucal de los niños en la primera infância

Introdução:Os pais exercem um importante papel no estabelecimento dos hábitos saudáveis durante a infância.Aoprestarem cuidados bucais necessários às suas crianças, observa-se um significativo resultado na prevenção dos agravos.Objetivo:Identificaroconhecimento materno sobre os cuidados bucais das crianças na primeira infância. Metodologia:Trata-se de um estudo de natureza quantitativa do tipo exploratório e observacional. A coleta ocorreu através da aplicação de um questionário semiestruturado, com questões sobre o conhecimento materno em relação à higiene bucal, hábitos alimentares, acometimento de cárie e perfil socioeconômico. Realizou-se uma análise descritiva dos dados, seguida de análise bivariada pelo teste do Qui-quadrado de Pearson, considerando-se um nível de significância de 5%. Resultados:Sobre o conhecimento dos cuidados bucais dos filhos, o mesmo encontrou-se insatisfatório em relação à idade em que as crianças devem começar a escovar seus dentes sozinhas,quanto ao uso de escova e docreme dental fluoretado como método de higiene após a erupção do primeiro dente e quanto à inexistência do dente decíduo antes do nascimento dos molares permanentes. Observou-se conhecimento satisfatório em relação à importância de se realizar restauraçãoem dente decíduo acometido por cárie,à idade em que a criança troca os dentes decíduos pelos permanentes e, à realização de algum cuidado bucal (fralda e gaze) antes do nascimento do primeiro dente.Conclusões:Há uma lacuna quanto às orientações de saúde bucal providas pelos dentistasdirecionadas às mães. As mães/gestantes têm o conhecimento adequado sobre os cuidados bucais do bebê, porém, quanto aos cuidados após o nascimento do primeiro dente, os resultados foram desfavoráveis. Faz-se necessário a maior participação do cirurgião-dentista nas consultas de pré-natal e de crescimento e desenvolvimento praticando educaçãoem saúde (AU).

Introduction:Parents play an important role in establishing healthy habits during childhood. Providing necessary oral care to their children significantly contributes to preventing oral health issues.Objective: To verify maternal knowledge about children's oral care in early childhood.Methodology:Thisis a quantitative, exploratoryandobservationalstudy. Data werecollectedthroughtheapplicationof a semistructuredquestionnaire, withquestionsabout maternal knowledgeregarding oral hygiene, eatinghabits, caries involvementandsocioeconomic profile. A descriptivedata analysiswasperformed, followedby a bivariate analysis, usingPearson's chi-square test, considering a 5% significance level. Results:Regardingmothers' knowledge about their children's oral care, it was unsatisfactory in relation to the age at which children should start brushing their teeth by themselves; regarding the use of a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste as hygiene methods, after the first tooth's eruption, and regarding the absence of the deciduous tooth before the permanent molars eruption. Satisfactory knowledge was observed regarding the importance of carrying out restoration in decayed deciduous teeth; the age at which children begin to change deciduous teeth for permanent ones and, carrying out some oral care (fabric and gauze) before the first tooth's eruption. Conclusions:There is a gap in the oral health guidelines provided by dentists, aimed to mothers. The mothers/pregnant women have sufficient knowledge about their baby's oral care, but considering the oral care after the first tooth eruption, the results were critical. It is necessary a greater participation of the dentist in prenatal and growth and development consultations, practicing Health Education (AU).

Introducción: Los padres ejercen un papel importante en el establecimiento de hábitos saludables durante la infancia. Al proporcionar el cuidado bucal necesario a sus hijos, se obtienen resultados importantes en la prevención de enfermedades. Objetivo: Identificar el conocimiento materno sobre el cuidado bucal de los niños en la primera infancia. Metodología:Se trata de un estudio cuantitativo de carácter exploratorio yobservacional. La colecta ocurrió mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario semiestructurado, con preguntas sobre conocimientos maternos sobre higiene bucal, hábitos alimentarios, caries y perfil socioeconómico. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de los datos, seguido de un análisis bivariado mediante la prueba Chi-cuadrado de Pearson, considerando un nivel de significancia del 5%. Resultados:En cuanto al conocimiento sobre el cuidado bucal de los niños, se encontró insatisfactorio en relación a la edad en la que los niños deben comenzar a cepillarse los dientes solos, en cuanto al uso de cepillos dentales y pasta dental fluorada como método de higiene después de la erupción del primer diente y la ausencia de un diente temporal antes del nacimiento de los molares permanentes. Se observó conocimiento satisfactorio sobre la importancia de restaurar un diente temporal afectado por caries, la edad en que el niño cambia los dientes temporales por permanentes y la provisión de algunos cuidados bucales (pañal y gasa) antes del nacimiento del primer diente. Conclusiones:Existe un vacío en la orientación sobre salud bucal proporcionada por los odontólogos dirigida a las madres. Las madres/gestantes tienen conocimientos adecuados sobre el cuidado bucal de su bebé, sin embargo, en relación a los cuidados después del nacimiento del primer diente los resultados fueron desfavorables. Es necesaria una mayor participación del odontólogo en las consultas prenatales y de crecimiento y desarrollo, practicando la educación para la salud (AU).

Hormone-mediated neural remodeling orchestrates parenting onset during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, physiological adaptations prepare the female body for the challenges of motherhood. Becoming a parent also requires behavioral adaptations. Such adaptations can occur as early as during pregnancy, but how pregnancy hormones remodel parenting circuits to instruct preparatory behavioral changes remains unknown. We found that action of estradiol and progesterone on galanin (Gal)-expressing neurons in the mouse medial preoptic area (MPOA) is critical for pregnancy-induced parental behavior. Whereas estradiol silences MPOAGal neurons and paradoxically increases their excitability, progesterone permanently rewires this circuit node by promoting dendritic spine formation and recruitment of excitatory synaptic inputs. This MPOAGal-specific neural remodeling sparsens population activity in vivo and results in persistently stronger, more selective responses to pup stimuli. Pregnancy hormones thus remodel parenting circuits in anticipation of future behavioral need.

Pregnant women's autonomic responses to an infant cry predict young infants' behavioral avoidance during the still-face paradigm.

Research suggests that women's autonomic nervous system responses to infant cries capture processes that affect their parenting behaviors. The aim of this study was to build on prior work by testing whether pregnant women's autonomic responses to an unfamiliar infant crying also predict their infants' emerging regulation abilities. Participants included 97 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, located in the United States. Most participants identified as White/non-Hispanic (48%) or Hispanic (30%), their mean age was approximately 30 years, and the modal family income was $40,000-$79,999. Pregnant women's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and skin conductance levels (SCL)-which are thought to capture emotional engagement and behavioral inhibition, respectively-were measured while the women watched a relaxing video and a video of an unfamiliar infant crying. Approximately 7 months later, women and their infants completed the still-face paradigm (SFP). Infants' avoidance and resistance behaviors during the SFP reunions were rated. Pregnant women's RSA and SCL responses to the infant cry video uniquely predicted infants' avoidance (but not resistance) during the SFP. Infants displayed higher levels of avoidance when their mothers exhibited lower levels of RSA reactivity or when their mothers exhibited higher levels of SCL activity in response to the infant cry video. Maternal sensitivity during mother-infant free-play interactions did not mediate the associations between pregnant women's autonomic responses to the cry video and infants' avoidant behavior during the SFP. Discussion focuses on potential mechanisms underlying associations between pregnant women's autonomic responses to infant distress and infants' socioemotional development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Does a mother's childbirth experience influence her perceptions of her baby's behaviour? A qualitative interview study.

BACKGROUND: Childbirth has become increasingly medicalised, which may impact on the mother's birth experience and her newborn infant's physiology and behaviour. Although associations have been found between a mother's subjective birth experience and her baby's temperament, there is limited qualitative evidence around how and why this may occur. OBJECTIVES: This qualitative study aimed to explore mothers' childbirth and postnatal experiences, perceptions of their baby's early behavioural style, and whether they saw these as related. METHODS: A qualitative semi-structured interview schedule collected rich in-depth data. Twenty-two healthy mothers over 18 years of age and with healthy infants aged 0-12 months born at term, were recruited from Southwest regions of England and Wales. Thematic analysis was performed on the data. RESULTS: Mothers experienced childbirth as a momentous physical and psychological process. However, they did not necessarily perceive the birth as affecting their baby's early behaviour or temperament. While some mothers drew a direct relationship, such as linking a straightforward birth to a calm infant, others did not make an explicit connection, especially those who experienced a challenging birth and postnatal period. Nevertheless, mothers who had a difficult or medicalised birth sometimes reported unsettled infant behaviour. It is possible that mothers who feel anxious or depressed after a challenging birth, or those without a good support network, may simply perceive their infant as more unsettled. Equally, mothers who have been well-supported and experienced an easier birth could be more likely to perceive their baby as easier to care for. CONCLUSIONS: Childbirth is a physical and psychological event that may affect mother-infant wellbeing and influence maternal perceptions of early infant temperament. The present findings add to prior evidence, reinforcing the importance of providing good physical and emotional support during and after childbirth to encourage positive mother-infant outcomes.

Childhood maltreatment predicts maternal sensitivity to distress: Negative attributions during the transition to parenthood.

Childhood maltreatment is a predictor of subsequent parenting behaviors; however, the mechanisms explaining this association have been understudied. The present study examined the indirect effect of childhood maltreatment on maternal sensitivity to distress via (a) emotion regulation difficulties, (b) negative attributions about infant crying, (c) minimizing attributions about infant crying, and (d) situational attributions about infant crying. The sample included 259 primiparous mothers (131 Black and 128 White) and their 6-month-old infants (52% female). Mothers retrospectively reported on their childhood history of maltreatment when their infants were about 2 years old. Emotion regulation difficulties and causal attributions about infant crying were assessed prenatally. Maternal sensitivity to distress was rated during three distress-eliciting tasks when children were 6 months old. Results from the structural equation model demonstrated that maternal childhood maltreatment was significantly positively associated with negative attributions about infant crying but not with emotion regulation difficulties, minimizing attributions, or situational attributions about crying. Furthermore, negative attributions about crying were associated with lower sensitivity to distress, and there was an indirect effect of childhood maltreatment on sensitivity to distress via negative attributions about infant distress. These effects were significant above and beyond the effects of coherence of mind, concurrent depressive symptoms, infant affect, maternal age, race, education, marital status, and income-to-needs ratio. The results suggest that altering negative attributions about infant crying may be an important area to intervene during the prenatal period to reduce continuity in maladaptive parenting across generations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and mother-infant neurophysiological and behavioral co-regulation during dyadic interaction: study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Mother's childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have a negative impact on mother and infant's behaviors during dyadic interactions which may increase mother-infant neurophysiological and behavioral co-regulation difficulties, leading to dysregulated mother-infant interactions. This study was specifically designed to analyze: (1) the sociodemographic and obstetric factors associated with mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms; (2) mother-infant neurophysiological functioning and behavioral co-regulation during dyadic interaction; (3) the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction; (4) the moderator role of previous trauma on the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction; and (5) the moderator role of comorbid symptoms of anxiety and depression on the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction. METHODS: At least 250 mothers will be contacted in order to account for refusals and dropouts and guarantee at least 100 participating mother-infant dyads with all the assessment waves completed. The study has a longitudinal design with three assessment waves: (1) 1-3 days postpartum, (2) 8 weeks postpartum, and (3) 22 weeks postpartum. Between 1 and 3 days postpartum, mothers will report on-site on their sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. At 8 weeks postpartum, mothers will complete online self-reported measures of birth trauma, previous trauma, childbirth-related PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. At 22 weeks postpartum, mothers will complete online self-reported measures of childbirth-related PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Mothers and infants will then be home-visited to observe and record their neurophysiological, neuroimaging and behavioral data during dyadic interactions using the Still-face Paradigm. Activation patterns in the prefrontal cortices of mother and infant will be recorded simultaneously using hyperscanning acquisition devices. Unadjusted and adjusted multilevel linear regression models will be performed to analyze objectives 1 to 3. Moderation models will be performed to analyze objectives 4 and 5. DISCUSSION: Data from this study will inform psychological interventions targeting mother-infant interaction, co-regulation, and infant development. Moreover, these results can contribute to designing effective screenings to identify mothers at risk of perinatal mental health problems and those who may need specialized perinatal mental health care.

Adolescent problematic gaming and its association with maternal behaviors: A dyadic study focusing on the relational-emotional correlates.

INTRODUCTION: Associations between Problematic Gaming (PG) and the relational-emotional correlates of parenting have been reported in the literature. Previous research mostly collected information from adolescents, however, and suggested that little is known about the perceptions of parents and whether these are shared among parent-adolescent dyads. Therefore, this study aimed to (a) examine multiple informants' reports of adolescent PG and maternal behaviors (i.e., warmth and indifference) and (b) disentangle the associations between the behaviors shared by mothers and adolescents from those unique to each member. METHOD: Data were collected by using self-administered online questionnaires from 137 Italian mother-adolescent dyads in Italy. The mean age of adolescents (n = 92 males, n = 42 females, n = 3 nonbinary) was 14.68 (±1.25) years and that of mothers 47.48 (±4.69) years. Descriptive statistics and common fate model (CFM) analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Mothers reported higher scores of their offspring's PG. Within-reporter interclass correlations revealed positive associations between maternal indifference and adolescent PG for both informants. CFM indicated that correlations between maternal behaviors and adolescent PG based on shared perceptions did not reach statistical significance, whereas correlations based on unique mothers' perceptions were statistically significant for all the observed relationships. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of adolescent PG, mothers may have a heightened motivation to perceive their parenting as crucial. The multi-informant approach allows a more accurate examination of the associations between adolescent PG and maternal behaviors and underscores the need to consider discordant assessment of the same phenomenon between mothers and adolescents.