Maternal Sensitivity to Distress and Infant Attachment: Infant Vagal Regulation as Moderator

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Attachment theory asserts that attachment is a complex biobehavioral system (Bowlby, 1969/1982); and infants learn physiological regulation in the context of early attachment relationships (Porges, 2003, 2007). Parasympathetic nervous system activation, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), is key in physiological regulation processes (Calkins, 2007; Porges, 2007).
Holochwost et al. (2014) examined RSA in 6m-old infants as a moderator of the links between maternal caregiving and 12-month infant attachment. They found that high infant baseline RSA and high levels of maternal negative-intrusiveness jointly predicted insecure attachment. However, that study did not take context into account (e.g., infant RSA was assessed in a distressing task, whereas maternal sensitivity was assessed in a non-distressing free play task). Also, Holochwost et al. did not take individual differences in baseline RSA into account when examining infant RSA as a predictor of attachment.
Bowlby (1969/1982) theorized that the attachment system and the exploratory system are interconnected but distinct, and that different caregiving responses are required when the infant’s attachment system is activated than when the infant’s exploratory behavioral system is activated. Research has highlighted the importance of considering the caregiving context (Leerkes, 2011; Bernier et al. 2014).
To address limitations in Holochwost et al., Kim and Woodhouse (2019) accounted for individual baseline RSA differences and both RSA and sensitivity were collected in the same non-distress context. Results showed infant vagal regulation moderated the link between maternal sensitivity in a non-distressed, free-play context. Infants who showed vagal augmentation (i.e., relaxing/nonattending) in the free play were likely to be insecure, both when mothers were less sensitive and when mothers were more detached. In contrast, infants showing vagal suppression (i.e., attending) when mothers were more detached were more likely to be secure.
The purpose of this present study is to extend the Kim and Woodhouse study and examine potential moderating effects of infant vagal regulation in the link between dimensions of maternal sensitivity (i.e., sensitivity to distress, positive regard, detachment, and intrusiveness), and later infant attachment security, when an infant’s attachment system is likely activated (i.e., in a distressing arm restraint task).
Participants were 228 6m-old infants and their mothers. Infants’ mothers were primarily low-income (59% <$10,000; $10,000 >25%< $30,000; $30,0000 >7%< $50,000; 9%> $50,000), and were ethnically and racially diverse. RSA data were collected continuously during video-taped interactions (5-minute baseline and 4-minute post distress task). Mother-infant dyads returned when infants were 12-months to assess infant attachment using the Strange Situation (Ainsworth et al., 1979), and attachment was coded by reliable coders.
We will use the PROCESS (Hayes, 2018) macro for Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software program to run four separate moderated regression analyses to examine whether 6-month infant RSA moderates the relations between four maternal sensitivity dimensions (i.e., sensitivity to distress, intrusiveness, detachment, and positive regard) and infant attachment security assessed at 12 months. Implications for intervention with racially/ethnically diverse low-income families will be discussed. Given that data have already been collected, it will be feasible to complete the analysis by April 7, 2021.

Authors

• Monica Kim, Lehigh University
  Presenting Author

• Susan Soledad Woodhouse, Lehigh University
  Non-Presenting Author