The antecedents and ontogeny of maternal sensitivity and responsiveness: Psychological, physiological, and behavioral aspects
Abstract
This study investigated the origins and development of individual differences in maternal sensitivity and responsiveness. A multi-method, multi-dimension, and multi-context data collection strategy was employed for infant and maternal variables. An analogue approach was utilized to obtain objective measures of maternal sensitivity and responsiveness, where maternal subjective and cardiac responses to recordings of own as well as unfamiliar infants' cries (classified into easy, average, and difficult cries based on the infants' temperament characteristics) were elicited in a laboratory situation. In addition, maternal behavioral responsivity was observed during mother-infant feeding and free-play interaction. Sixty-one primiparous mothers' responses to infant cries, and their self-reports on parenting self-efficacy, depression, marital quality, and satisfaction with emotional support were collected when they were in their 2nd trimester of pregnancy, and again at 1 and 3 months after the birth of their infant. Infant negative emotionality was indexed by composite scores consisting of infant response to pacifier withdrawal, irritability cluster in the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment, and/or maternal reports on the fussy/difficult factor in Infant Characteristics Questionnaire. The convergent, predictive, and ecological validities of the analogue paradigm were first tested. Convergent and ecological validities of the analogue approach were not supported. However, maternal cardiac reactivity to cries of unfamiliar infants predicted those to their own infant cries. Individual stabilities in maternal cry ratings, cardiac reactivity (particularly, postnatal heart period), and behavioral contingency as well as appropriateness were found. Maternal subjective ratings were significantly different across different cry types--mothers perceived average infants' cries most negative, difficult infants' cries next, and the cries of easy and their own infants the least negative. Maternal heart rate reactivity to infant cries and mothers' behavioral consistency and appropriateness significantly increased across time. In general, maternal socio-ecological variables, such as maternal self-efficacy, depression, marital quality, and satisfaction with emotional support, did not predict maternal behavioral responsivity, subjective ratings, or cardiac reactivity to infant cries. However, the change in maternal vagal tone reactivity to infant cries from prenatal to 1 month was uniquely explained by infant negative emotionality.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Bryan, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Developmental psychology
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