Early maternal rejection and later social anxiety in juvenile and adult Japanese macaques

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between early maternal style and subsequent juvenile and adult behavior of offspring in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Early maternal style had no effect on baseline behavior of offspring when adult. In contrast, early maternal style was correlated with the response of adult offspring to stressful social interactions, and particularly with their response to actual or potential aggression. Infants whose mothers encouraged more independence showing high rates of rejection were less fearful and did cope better with stressful situations when adult. Although based on correlational data, these results suggest that in macaques maternal rejection can promote offspring independence and the development of a less anxious personality.

Effects of maternal style on infant behavior in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

“…We classified mothers into four different groups on the basis of their maternal style (Fairbanks & McGuire, 1988) to test the hypothesis that different mothering styles were correlated with the behavioral repertoire of infants at three different ages (5, 7, and 9 months) during their development. In particular, in accordance with previous studies (Schino et al, 2001;Simpson, 1985;Simpson & Simpson, 1986;Suomi, 1987), we expected that infants of rejecting mothers would show higher frequencies of behaviors connected with the precocial development of motor skills, such as locomotion and exploration, and would show a higher level of enterprise associated with a higher frequency of interaction with other group members. We also would expect infants of protective mothers to be less interested in the external environment, to be more cautious, and less inclined to initiate contact with other group members (Fairbanks & McGuire, 1988;Andrews & Rosenblum, 1993;Vochteloo, Timmermans, Duijghuisen, & Vossen, 1993).…”

“…Finally, this work provides a link with recent findings by Schino et al (2001) studying the effect of maternal style on the later behavior of adult Japanese macaques. They found that baseline adult behavior is not affected by maternal style.…”

“…Andrews and Rosenblum (1993), assessing the impact of infant restraint on dyadic interaction of bonnet macaques, found that mothers spending more time foraging (a paradigm they used in studying the strategic patterns of coping with conflicting environmental and maternal demands) had infants that showed less initiative to leave their mothers. Recently, a positive correlation between a high rate of maternal rejection and better coping skills under stressful situations as adults has been reported in Japanese macaques (Schino, Speranza, & Troisi, 2001). However, the evidence is still sparse and sometimes contradictory (Fairbanks & McGuire, 1988).…”

The Role of the Brain Serotonergic System in the Origin and Transmission of Adaptive and Maladaptive Variations in Maternal Behavior in Rhesus Macaques

“…In contrast, infants reared by more protective mothers appear to be delayed in the acquisition of their independence and are relatively fearful and cautious when faced with challenging situations ( Fairbanks & McGuire, 1987Vochteloo et al , 1993 ). Effects of mothering style on offspring behavior have been shown to extend into adulthood ( Fairbanks & McGuire, 1988 ;Schino et al , 2001 ;Bardi et al , 2005 ;Bardi & Huffman, 2006 ;Maestripieri et al , 2006b ). These effects have also been demonstrated with experimental manipulations of maternal behavior ( Vochteloo et al , 1993 ) and with infant cross-fostering studies ( Maestripieri, 2005a, b ;Maestripieri et al , 2006b ).…”

Neuroendocrine Mechanisms Underlying the Intergenerational Transmission of Maternal Behavior and Infant Abuse in Rhesus Macaques

“…In contrast, infants reared by more protective mothers appear to be delayed in the acquisition of their independence and are relatively fearful and cautious when faced with challenging situations (Fairbanks and McGuire 1987, 1988Vochteloo et al 1993). Effects of parenting style on offspring behavior can extend into adulthood McGuire 1988, 1993;Schino et al 2001;Bardi et al 2005; Bardi and Huffman 2006;Maestripieri et al 2006b). These effects have also been demonstrated with experimental manipulations of maternal behavior (Vochteloo et al 1993) and with infant crossfostering studies (Maestripieri 2005,b;Maestripieri et al 2006b).…”