Poster #82 - Maternal Sensitivity in Play, Distress, and Feeding Contexts: Factor Structure, Mean Differences, and Unique Correlates

• In Event: Poster Session 17

Abstract

Traditionally, maternal sensitivity has been viewed as a general trait whereby if a mother was observed to be highly sensitive in any context she was described as a globally sensitive mother. More recently, arguments have been made for domain specificity (Grusec & Davidov, 2010). That is, parenting goals and behaviors, their antecedents, and their impact on relevant child outcomes may vary across developmental domains. Subsequent research provides some support for this perspective (Leerkes et al, 2009; 2012; McElwain & Booth LaForce, 2006, Vliet et al, 2022, Teti et al. 2022). The goals of this study are to examine the extent to which maternal sensitivity in free play, distress-eliciting and feeding tasks (a) reflect a single construct or 3 context specific constructs; (b) demonstrate mean differences; and (c) have similar versus varied antecedents/correlates. To our knowledge this is the first study to examine sensitivity simultaneously in these three contexts.
Participants were 299 mothers (47% non-White) and their infants (49% female). During their third trimester, women completed questionnaires via Qualtrics and viewed 4 video clips of crying infants and completed questionnaires after each to assess their emotional and cognitive reactions to infant crying. At two months postpartum, mothers and infants were videotaped during free play, the still face paradigm, and feeding (54% breastfed, 46% bottle-fed). Maternal (sensitivity to distress and non-distress cues, intrusiveness, detachment) and infant behaviors (positive and negative mood) were rated on 7-point scales adapted from NICHD ECCRN (1999). During the feeding task only, infant engagement in feeding and maternal sensitivity to feeding cues (adapted from NCAST and Hodges et al., 2013) were coded on the same 7-point scale. The latter replaced intrusiveness because it included pressuring the infant to eat.
Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the 3-factor model (Figure 1) fit the data well and had significantly better fit (ΔCFI > .01, ΔRMSEA >.01) than the 1-factor model, which had a poor fit (CFI = .401, RMSEA = .227). Maternal sensitivity in the free play and distress-context were significantly positively associated, but sensitivity during feeding was not associated with either. Maternal sensitivity in the distress context (M = 5.61, SE = .06) was significantly higher than during free play (M = 5.37, SE = .07), F (1, 213) = 12.41, p = .001. No other mean differences were statistically significant. After controlling for their shared variability with one another, the pattern of factors that significantly predicted sensitivity in each context differed with the exception that concurrent infant behaviors predicted maternal sensitivity in each context (Table 1). Lower emotional risk and a tendency to take the infant’s perspective (i.e., IO cry processing) were associated with higher sensitivity in free play. Lower self-focused negative emotions and cognitions about crying (i.e., MO cry processing) predicted higher sensitivity in the distress task. Higher socio-demographic stats and breastfeeding during the observation predicted higher sensitivity in feeding.

Results support the domain specificity perspective of parenting. Additional research examining the relative prediction of sensitivity during free play, distressing contexts, and feeding, to child outcomes is warranted.

Authors

• Esther M. Leerkes, UNC Greensboro
  Presenting Author

• Yu Chen, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Cheryl Buehler, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Laurie Wideman, UNC Greensboro

• Lenka Shriver, University of North Carolina at Greensboro