3-129 - Examining Novel Predictors of Maternal Sensitivity during Infancy within the context of Risk

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Maternal sensitivity is known to be an important mechanism by which caregiving influences infant socio-emotional development (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978; De Wolff & vanIJzendoorn, 1997). Recent research underscores the complex interplay of biobehavioral factors that contribute to the quality of parenting and child mental health (Conradt & Ablow, 2010; Leerkes et al., 2014). Examining biobehavioral predictors of sensitivity may elucidate pathways which confer risk in early childhood. Papers in this symposium will explore novel prenatal and postnatal antecedents of maternal sensitivity during infancy drawing upon three at-risk samples. Papers 1 & 2 examine maternal factors during pregnancy including smoking status, stress, and emotion dysregulation as prenatal predictors of observed sensitivity at 6 months postpartum. Paper 3 explores the interactive effects of infant sleep and temperament as postnatal predictors of maternal sensitivity and depressive symptoms at 12-15 months postpartum. Findings suggest that maternal stress and health during the prenatal period may offer important insights to later caregiving behavior. Additionally, infant bioregulatory factors such as sleep in the postpartum period play an important role in determining maternal caregiving behavior and maternal wellbeing in the first years of life. Together these findings offer preliminary evidence for novel malleable targets for intervention during the prenatal and postnatal periods to ameliorate negative effects on caregiving behavior during infancy. Furthermore, utilizing a cumulative risk perspective to consider additive effects of risk could inform the tailoring of prevention and intervention programs for at-risk mother-infant dyads.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Kristyn Wong, Brown University

Discussant

• Sherryl Goodman, Emory University

Individual Presentations

• Prospective Associations between Maternal Smoking Status During Pregnancy and Parenting Behaviors at Six Months Postpartum - Presenting Author: Meaghan McCallum, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Non-Presenting Author: Katelyn Borba, The Miriam Hospital; Non-Presenting Author: Alana Corey, The Miriam Hospital; Non-Presenting Author: Cynthia Nguyen, The Miriam Hospital; Non-Presenting Author: Chantelle Ward, Emory University; Non-Presenting Author: Stephanie H. Parade, Bradley Research Center/Brown University; Non-Presenting Author: Laura Stroud, Brown University

• Prospective Prenatal Predictors of Maternal Sensitivity - Presenting Author: Nila Shakiba, University of Utah; Non-Presenting Author: Mindy Brown, University of Utah; Non-Presenting Author: Sarah Terrell, University of Utah; Non-Presenting Author: Brendan Ostlund, University of Utah; Non-Presenting Author: Sheila Crowell, University of Utah; Non-Presenting Author: Elisabeth Conradt, University of Utah

• Exploring the Moderating Role of Infant Sleep Variability between Infant Temperament and Maternal Sensitivity - Presenting Author: Kristyn Wong, Brown University; Non-Presenting Author: Stephanie H. Parade, Bradley Research Center/Brown University; Non-Presenting Author: Renee Belair, Bradley Hospital; Non-Presenting Author: Susan Dickstein, Brown University; Non-Presenting Author: Ronald Seifer, Brown University