Parent–infant synchrony and the construction of shared timing; physiological precursors, developmental outcomes, and risk conditions

Abstract

Synchrony, a construct used across multiple fields to denote the temporal relationship between events, is applied to the study of parent-infant interactions and suggested as a model for intersubjectivity. Three types of timed relationships between the parent and child's affective behavior are assessed: concurrent, sequential, and organized in an ongoing patterned format, and the development of each is charted across the first year. Viewed as a formative experience for the maturation of the social brain, synchrony impacts the development of self-regulation, symbol use, and empathy across childhood and adolescence. Different patterns of synchrony with mother, father, and the family and across cultures describe relationship-specific modes of coordination. The capacity to engage in temporally-matched interactions is based on physiological mechanisms, in particular oscillator systems, such as the biological clock and cardiac pacemaker, and attachment-related hormones, such as oxytocin. Specific patterns of synchrony are described in a range of child-, parent- and context-related risk conditions, pointing to its ecological relevance and usefulness for the study of developmental psychopathology. A perspective that underscores the organization of discrete relational behaviors into emergent patterns and considers time a central parameter of emotion and communication systems may be useful to the study of interpersonal intimacy and its potential for personal transformation across the lifespan.

Prenatal ultrasound screening: False positive soft markers may alter maternal representations and mother-infant interaction

“…Given that anxiety and depression auto questionnaires have been validated for use during pregnancy [15,43], we recommend systematically screening for anxiety and depression at the visit immediately following SM detection to identify at-risk women and offer psychological treatment. Indeed, the ideal time to begin mental health care could be during the obstetric follow-up, when the psychic dynamics of the woman are accessible, or immediately in postpartum, while the mother is still in the hospital and the dyadic pattern is establishing [18,19]. Psychologists and psychiatrists should bear in mind the potential impact of such prenatal events when dealing with psychological problems in mothers or their offspring, and during their therapeutic approach should focus on maternal representation, as it appear to be a key mediating factor.…”

“…Moreover, prenatal stress has been shown to impair the quality of the mother-infant interaction in both animal [14] and human studies [13,15]. In turn, failure to address maternal stress during pregnancy stress may bear short-term negative consequences for infant development and well-being [7,13,[16][17][18][19].…”

Temperamento, prematuridade e comportamento interativo mãe-criança

“…Com relação às características das crianças destacam-se os fatores de risco biológico como a prematuridade (Poehlmann et al, 2011), malformação ao nascimento (Blacher, Baker, & Kaladjian, 2013) e infecções congênitas (Swanson & Schleiss, 2013), além de fatores psicológicos, como o temperamento (Kim & Kochanska, 2012) e comportamento (Lipscomb et al, 2012). As características maternas, por sua vez, que infl uenciam essa interação são a responsividade, que se refere ao modo como o adulto altera seu comportamento e o ambiente físico em reposta às demandas da criança (Gartstein, Crawford, & Robertson, 2008;Kim & Kochanska, 2012), intrusividade, relativa à falta de respeito à autonomia da criança (Adam, Gunnar, & Tanaka, 2004;Taylor, Eisenberg, Spinrad, & Widaman, 2013), sincronia, defi nida como uma interação mutuamente regulada, harmoniosa e recíproca (Feldman, 2007;Gartstein et al, 2008) e depressão (Feng et al, 2008). Além das características da díade, as variáveis contextuais, como a condição socio-econômica, atuam infl uenciando a qualidade da interação (Potharst et al, 2012).…”

“…As mães das crianças nascidas prematuras são caracterizadas por oferecerem menos suporte ao desenvolvimento de comportamentos autônomos nas crianças (Feldman, 2007;Potharst et al, 2012) e mais intrusivas do que as mães de crianças nascidas a termo (Poehlmann et al, 2011;Potharst et al, 2012).…”

Mother’s voice and heartbeat sounds elicit auditory plasticity in the human brain before full gestation

“…For example, the periodic perception of the low-frequency maternal heartbeat in the womb provides the fetus with an important rhythmic experience (15,16) that likely establishes the neural basis for auditory entrainment and synchrony skills necessary for vocal, gestural, and gaze communication during mother-infant interactions (17,18).…”