Prenatal Predictors of Postnatal Quality of Caregiving Behavior in Mothers and Fathers

SYNOPSIS

Objective. The quality of parental caregiving has been shown to affect children’s development from birth onward. Therefore, it is important to detect parents at risk for low-quality caregiving as early as possible – preferably before birth. Design. Observations of expectant mothers’ and fathers’ behavior when exposed to infant crying were examined as predictors of the quality of caregiving toward their own infant 6 weeks postpartum. Eighty-eight expectant mothers and 57 of their male partners were tested during the third trimester of pregnancy. Parents were filmed individually while caring for a crying Simulator Infant for 15 min; the quality of their caregiving was rated on sensitivity and cooperation. Also, cognitive interference on a working memory task and the ability to regulate physical force when exposed to infant crying were assessed. When their baby was 6 weeks old, parents were filmed and rated for sensitivity and cooperation during a 15-min interaction with their own infant at home. Results. Prenatal quality of caregiving behavior toward a simulator infant predicted postnatal quality of caregiving toward the own infant in both mothers and fathers. Cognitive interference and the ability to regulate physical force did not predict postnatal quality of caregiving behavior. Conclusions. Expectant parents’ quality of caregiving behavior toward a crying simulator infant predicted both mothers’ and fathers’ postnatal quality of caregiving behavior. Future research is needed to determine whether the simulator infant may be a useful screening instrument and training tool for parenting skills in at risk groups of parents-to-be.     

Parent–Infant Room Sharing During the First Months of Life: Longitudinal Links With Behavior During Middle Childhood

Current recommendations encourage parent–infant room sharing for the first 6 months of life. This longitudinal study (N = 193) is the first to examine long-term relations of early room sharing with three domains of child behavior: sleep, behavior problems, and prosocial behavior. Information on room sharing was collected daily for infants’ first 6 months. At ages 6, 7, and 8 years, outcomes were assessed with maternal and teacher questionnaires and behavioral observations. Early room sharing was not related to sleep problems or behavior problems. Additionally, more weeks of room sharing were positively related to higher maternal ratings of child sleep quality and more prosocial behavior. In conclusion, early room sharing appears to be related to positive, but not negative, behavior outcomes in middle childhood.     

Studying Quality of Caregiving Behavior: The Roles of Infant,Mother, Father,and Culture

SYNOPSIS

This study showed that prenatal quality of caregiving behavior toward a crying simulator infant predicted the postnatal quality of caregiving behavior of both mothers and fathers.     

Early non-parental care and toddler behaviour problems: Links with temperamental negative affectivity and inhibitory control

This longitudinal study examined the link between multiple aspects of early non-parental care and internalizing and externalizing behaviour at 30 months of age. We also examined whether this link was mediated by children's inhibitory control and moderated by early temperamental negative affectivity. Participants were 193 mothers and their infants (91 girls; 79 firstborn). Negative affectivity was measured with a temperament questionnaire at 3 months of age. Information on non-parental care (i.e. centre-based care, number of hours, number of concurrent arrangements, long-term instability of care and age of entry) was obtained through monthly maternal interviews across the first year of life. At 30 months of age, toddlers’ inhibitory control was measured with observational tasks, and behaviour problem questionnaires were completed by the mothers and the caregivers. The mediation model was not supported. Greater observed inhibitory control, however, was related to less caregiver-reported internalizing and externalizing behaviour. Furthermore, negative affectivity moderated the effect of early non-parental care on behaviour problems. Non-parental care was unrelated to behaviour problems in toddlers who displayed low or mean levels of negative affectivity as infants. For infants high in negativity, however, centre-based care was associated with higher mother-rated internalizing and externalizing problems. In sum, the link between aspects of non-parental care during the first year of life and toddlers’ behaviour problems was not mediated through inhibitory control. Instead, inhibitory control and non-parental care, in conjunction with negative affectivity, appear to be two independent predictors of toddlers’ internalizing and externalizing behaviour.