Maternal physiological dysregulation while parenting poses risk for infant attachment disorganization and behavior problems

Abstract

The extent to which indices of maternal physiological arousal (skin conductance augmentation) and regulation (vagal withdrawal) while parenting predict infant attachment disorganization and behavior problems directly or indirectly via maternal sensitivity was examined in a sample of 259 mothers and their infants. Two covariates, maternal self-reported emotional risk and AAI attachment coherence were assessed prenatally. Mothers’ physiological arousal and regulation were measured during parenting tasks when infants were 6 months old. Maternal sensitivity was observed during distress-eliciting tasks when infants were 6 and 14 months old, and an average sensitivity score was calculated. Attachment disorganization was observed during the Strange Situation when infants were 14 months old and mothers reported on infants’ behavior problems when infants were 27 months old. Over and above covariates, mothers’ arousal and regulation while parenting interacted to predict infant attachment disorganization and behavior problems such that maternal arousal was associated with higher attachment disorganization and behavior problems when maternal regulation was low but not when maternal regulation was high. This effect was direct and not explained by maternal sensitivity. Results suggest that maternal physiological dysregulation while parenting places infants at risk for psychopathology.

Defense mechanism is predicted by attachment and mediates the maladaptive influence of insecure attachment on adolescent mental health

“…(López Seco et al 2016). Mothers´arousal and regulation while parenting interacted to predict infant attachment disorganization and behavior problems (Leerkes et al 2017). Also, the interaction of insecure attachment and behavioral inhibition increased the risk for internalizing problems such as anxiety (Lewis-Morrarty et al 2015).…”

Examining pathways linking maternal depressive symptoms in infancy to children’s behavior problems: The role of maternal unresponsiveness and negative behaviors

“…These subtle variations in caregiving quality are difficult to observe, but they may affect infant stress arousal and regulation via the synchrony of bodily rhythms between mother and infant (Feldman, 2007). It has been proposed that this may in turn contribute to maladaptive infant outcomes (Leerkes, Su, O’Brien, Calkins, & Supple, 2016). …”

Socioeconomic risk moderates the association between caregiver cortisol levels and infant cortisol reactivity to emotion induction at 24 months

“…Yet another potential factor disrupting the caregiver's ability to regulate is the caregiver's physiology (Leerkes, Su, Calkins, O'Brien, & Supple, 2017;Lorber & O'Leary, 2005). For instance, one study found that increases in mothers' self-reported depressive symptomology was associated with increased infant cortisol responses to a stressor, but only if the mother also had high levels of cortisol .…”

“…For instance, one study found that increases in mothers' self-reported depressive symptomology was associated with increased infant cortisol responses to a stressor, but only if the mother also had high levels of cortisol . Indeed, other studies have found that maternal physiology may be unrelated to self-report and/or observed parenting measures, yet still related to the child's physiology (Emery, McElwain, Groh, Haydon, & Roisman, 2014;Leerkes et al, 2017;Luecken, Crnic, Gonzales, Winstone, & Somer, 2018). This idea is consistent with Hofer's "hidden regulators" hypothesis in which he identified mechanisms in the mother-child relationship that "were not evident when simply observing the ongoing mother-infant relationship," but regulated child behavior and physiology (Hofer, 2010, p. 157).…”