The Latent Structure of Maternal Caregiving Behavior: Examining the Role of Psychological and Contextual Risks

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: PS 14 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Sensitivity is one of the most widely investigated parenting constructs. Although it is often represented along a dimension reflecting prompt and appropriate responses to infant signals, variation at the lower end of the scale can take many forms. Indeed, Ainsworth’s (Ainsworth et al., 1978) original coding schema included four dimensions (sensitivity-insensitivity, acceptance-rejection, cooperation-interference, and accessibility-ignoring). However, the small sample size of the Baltimore project precluded formal analysis of the latent structure of these dimensions, and they were ultimately combined into a single dimension of maternal sensitivity. Informed by Ainsworth’s research, a coding system for maternal caregiving behavior was developed within the context of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development that includes several dimensions of maternal caregiving behavior: sensitivity, intrusiveness, detachment, positive regard, and negative regard. Emerging evidence suggests that these caregiving dimensions might be best captured by two factors, one reflecting negative intrusiveness (negative regard and controlling) and one reflecting emotional disengagement (lack of positive regard and emotional connection; Mills-Koonce et al., 2009). In this study, we sought to replicate and extend these findings by examining the latent structure of maternal behaviors and examining psychological (i.e., maternal attachment representations, maternal internalizing symptomatology) and contextual (i.e., SES, stressful life events) risks identified in prior research (Alvarenga et al., 2013; Behrens et al., 2016; Callahan & Eyberg, 2010; Smith et al., 2014) in relation to the latent caregiving factors.

The sample for this study comprised 142 mothers and their 6-month-old infants. Mother-infant dyads were observed during play contexts and the Still Face Procedure (SFP; Tronick et al., 1978). Caregiving variables were coded on 5-point scales (Frosch & Owen, 2016) and were averaged across contexts. Mothers’ attachment representations were assessed with the Attachment Script Assessment (Waters & Rodrigues-Doolabh, 2004) and coded for secure base script knowledge (SBSK) reflecting knowledge that attachment relationships serve secure base and safe haven functions. Mothers reported their internalizing symptoms using the Adult Self-Report (Achenbach, 1997) and stressful life experience using the Recent Life Events Checklist (Horowitz et al., 1977). Mothers’ SES was indexed by their family income.

As seen in Figure 1, results indicated that a two-factor solution best accounted for the caregiving data. This suggests maternal caregiving behavior may be best captured by two factors reflecting the extent to which mothers negatively regard and control the infant (negative intrusiveness) and the extent to which mothers are emotionally and behaviorally detached from the infant (emotional disengagement). Mothers lower on SBSK exhibited higher levels of emotional disengagement (but not negative intrusiveness) when interacting with their infants (β = -.15, p < 0.05), suggesting that mothers with greater knowledge of the secure base and safe haven functions of attachment relationships are more likely to provide positive and emotionally engaged caregiving. Mothers’ internalizing symptoms, stressful life events, and SES were not significantly associated with negative intrusiveness or emotional disengagement (Table 1, Figure 1). Given accumulating evidence for the multi-dimensional nature of maternal caregiving behavior, greater research is needed on the distinctive correlates of these parenting factors.

Authors

• Rachael Robinson, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Presenting Author

• Nanxi Xu, Vanderbilt University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ashley M. Groh, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author