Emotional availability: Concept, research, and window on developmental psychopathology

Abstract

The construct of emotional availability (EA) refers to the capacity of a dyad to share an emotional connection and to enjoy a mutually fulfilling and healthy relationship. The EA Scales were designed to assess multiple components of a relationship from the perspective of both partners. The four caregiver components include sensitivity, structuring, nonintrusiveness, and nonhostility; two scales measure the child's responsiveness to the caregiver and involvement of the caregiver. We describe the EA construct and introduce the papers in this issue, focusing on the contributions of this Special Section to a developmental psychopathology framework.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease and the mother-infant relationship

“…Infants and children desire close proximity to the mother when threatened by a challenge, and while many mothers are able to provide such comfort, for others, it may mean a less optimal start to the mother-child relationship. [4] It is possible that the persistent feeding difficulties and internalizing and externalizing disorders reported in children who had feeding problems in the first months of life [8][9][10] are associated with a less than optimal early motherinfant relationship. This is an area for future research.…”

“…[18] The EA Scales have been used in more than 100 studies [19] with every age group including infants during the first year of life. Biringen and Easterbrooks [4] describe four adult components of emotional availability: Sensitivity (appropriate responsiveness and ability to handle conflicts in the relationship); Structuring (consistent, nonexcessive limit setting and guidance during the child's play); Nonintrusivness (age appropriate protectiveness of the child without overdirection or overstimulation); and Non-hostility (absence of impatient, angry, or bored facial or verbal behavior). The two child components are: Responsiveness (willingness to respond to bids of the adult without over-compliance), and Involvement (ability to initiate an interaction and engage the adult without over-involvement or distress).…”

“…[3] Behaviors of infants with GERD and their mothers may threaten subsequent bonding and attachment. [4] The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess mother-infant relationship quality for mothers and their babies with GERD.…”

“…[9,10] In an emotionally available mother-child relationship, members of the dyad share an emotional connection that is mutually fulfilling, and the responsiveness of the child and mother signifies that the relationship is important and valuable. [4,11] Emotional availability, as measured by the Emotional Availability (EA) system has been shown to predict attachment. [12] Others have reported lower EA (e.g.…”

The maternal brain in women with a history of early-life maltreatment: an imagination-based fMRI study of conflictual versus pleasant interactions with children

“…According to emotional availability scales, a mother with high sensitivity shows positive, creative, authentic and congruent communication with her child. 9 Reduced maternal sensitivity, on the other hand, is associated with behaviour problems and deficits in social competence in children, 10,11 and poor maternal caregiving is related to risk of psychopathology and response to treatment in offspring. 12,13 A growing number of studies shows that ELM enhances the risk of poor maternal sensitivity.…”