Can Mothers Predict Childhood Behavioural Inhibition in Early Infancy?

BACKGROUND: Focusing on early identification of developmental risk factors, this study examined the question whether maternal report of child behaviour during early infancy is related to a laboratory measure of behavioural inhibition at 14 months of age. METHOD: A sample of 101 mother-infant pairs was recruited from local obstetric units. The Infant Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ) was presented at 4 months postnatal age. Child behavioural inhibition was assessed at 14 months in a laboratory procedure. RESULTS: Infant distress to novelty as measured by the IBQ at 4 months postnatal age was found to be associated with toddler's fear score/behavioural inhibition at 14 months (p = .003). Distress-to-limitations subscore, smile/laughter subscore, activity subscore, and soothability subscore of the IBQ showed no correlation with behavioural inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioural inhibition, as a potential risk factor for childhood shyness and anxiety, can be predicted by maternal judgment of infant distress to novelty at age 4 months. The Infant Behaviour Questionnaire therefore might be used to identify infants presumably at risk for childhood anxiety disorders.

Association of behavioral inhibition with hair pigmentation in a European sample.

Behavioral inhibition, a temperamental trait signalling a predisposition to childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders, is slightly more frequent in America among Caucasian children having blue irises. This paper examines a community sample of 101 German toddlers assessed for behavioral inhibition in a standardized laboratory procedure. Hair pigmentation was found to be significantly associated with behavioral inhibition in the sense that blond children exhibited higher fear scores. As in American samples, blue-eyed children had a higher fear score than did other children, but this difference was not statistically significant.

Emotional stress in pregnancy predicts human infant reactivity.

BACKGROUND: Infant distress to novelty at 4 months of life has previously been identified as an important predictor of longer term emotional development in childhood and adolescence. AIM: To investigate the relationship between prenatal stress and infant reactivity to unfamiliar visual, auditory and olfactory stimuli. STUDY DESIGN: Maternal emotional stress, life events and medical adversities during pregnancy and maternal personality characteristics were assessed by interview, questionnaire and patient charts at 2 weeks postnatal age. Postnatal maternal psychopathology was assessed at 2 weeks and 4 months postnatal age. Infant outcome was examined 4 months postnatally. SUBJECTS: 102 mother-infant pairs were recruited in local obstetric units, complete datasets were available for 96 mother-infant-pairs. OUTCOME MEASURE: Infant reactivity to unfamiliar stimuli was assessed when the infants were 4 months postnatal age. RESULTS: Maternal prenatal emotional stress was significantly associated with infant affective reactivity to novelty. Maternal postnatal psychopathology did not have an influence on affective infant reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidence for an impact of maternal emotional stress in pregnancy on early infant distress to novel stimuli, a behavioral trait whose stability throughout childhood and adolescence has previously been demonstrated.