Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1555428
P. Setoh, G. Esposito
SYNOPSIS Infants’ crying modulates parental behaviors, which in turn, ideally, lead to calming the infant. The mutually beneficial reciprocity between infants’ and parents’ behaviors is conserved across mammalian species. Although some studies highlight similarities in responses to infant cries across gender, other studies report differences in their behaviors and brain activity. Zeifman and colleagues in this Special Issue found that high levels of infant crying can trigger increases in testosterone in men, which is accompanied by less sensitive caregiving. Some interpret males’ lack of sensitive caregiving as neglectful, but these results could be considered as evolutionarily adaptive. Specifically, increases in testosterone levels from intense infant cries could lead to increased vigilance and alertness toward external stimuli, and thus allow males to be better equipped to protect their young.
{"title":"What Men Do When a Baby Cries: Increasing Testosterone May Lead to Less Nurturant Care but More Environmental Vigilance","authors":"P. Setoh, G. Esposito","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1555428","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1555428","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS Infants’ crying modulates parental behaviors, which in turn, ideally, lead to calming the infant. The mutually beneficial reciprocity between infants’ and parents’ behaviors is conserved across mammalian species. Although some studies highlight similarities in responses to infant cries across gender, other studies report differences in their behaviors and brain activity. Zeifman and colleagues in this Special Issue found that high levels of infant crying can trigger increases in testosterone in men, which is accompanied by less sensitive caregiving. Some interpret males’ lack of sensitive caregiving as neglectful, but these results could be considered as evolutionarily adaptive. Specifically, increases in testosterone levels from intense infant cries could lead to increased vigilance and alertness toward external stimuli, and thus allow males to be better equipped to protect their young.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"5 1","pages":"62 - 64"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88668058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1555415
G. Esposito, M. Bornstein
SYNOPSIS This Special Issue collects five empirical studies from around the world that use diverse methodological approaches and focus at different levels to investigate how behavioral, hormonal, prenatal and postnatal factors, brain functioning, and environment regulate early interactions of parents with distressed infants and young children.
{"title":"Parenting and Infant Cry","authors":"G. Esposito, M. Bornstein","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1555415","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1555415","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS This Special Issue collects five empirical studies from around the world that use diverse methodological approaches and focus at different levels to investigate how behavioral, hormonal, prenatal and postnatal factors, brain functioning, and environment regulate early interactions of parents with distressed infants and young children.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"23 1","pages":"1 - 4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75041523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1555425
E. Roellke, Monica Raiss, Sarah King, Jennie Lytel-Sternberg, D. Zeifman
SYNOPSIS Objective. Lower baseline testosterone (T) among men is generally associated with more sympathetic and nurturant responses to infant stimuli. The effect of exposure to infant crying on men’s levels of T, however, is not well understood. The present study aimed to measure men’s T responses to high and low levels of infant crying. Design. Changes in fathers’ (n = 18) and non-fathers’ (n = 28) salivary T levels from baseline were measured in response to caring for an infant simulator programmed to cry often (high-demand condition) or infrequently (low-demand condition) during a 20-min caregiving simulation. Results. Men exposed to low-demand conditions exhibited significant T reductions from baseline, whereas men in high-demand conditions exhibited increases in T. Compared to men who displayed decreases in T following the caregiving simulation, men who displayed increases in T provided less sensitive care. Conclusions. Results suggest a potential role of high levels of crying in provoking physiological reactions among men that may set the stage for hostile or aggressive responses. More research is needed to illuminate contextual factors that contribute to men’s variable responses to infant crying.
{"title":"Infant Crying Levels Elicit Divergent Testosterone Response in Men","authors":"E. Roellke, Monica Raiss, Sarah King, Jennie Lytel-Sternberg, D. Zeifman","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1555425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1555425","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS Objective. Lower baseline testosterone (T) among men is generally associated with more sympathetic and nurturant responses to infant stimuli. The effect of exposure to infant crying on men’s levels of T, however, is not well understood. The present study aimed to measure men’s T responses to high and low levels of infant crying. Design. Changes in fathers’ (n = 18) and non-fathers’ (n = 28) salivary T levels from baseline were measured in response to caring for an infant simulator programmed to cry often (high-demand condition) or infrequently (low-demand condition) during a 20-min caregiving simulation. Results. Men exposed to low-demand conditions exhibited significant T reductions from baseline, whereas men in high-demand conditions exhibited increases in T. Compared to men who displayed decreases in T following the caregiving simulation, men who displayed increases in T provided less sensitive care. Conclusions. Results suggest a potential role of high levels of crying in provoking physiological reactions among men that may set the stage for hostile or aggressive responses. More research is needed to illuminate contextual factors that contribute to men’s variable responses to infant crying.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"24 1","pages":"39 - 55"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84739002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1555417
J. Borelli
SYNOPSIS This commentary explores potential mechanisms underlying the links between mothers’ attachment anxiety and levels of salivary alpha amylase in response to infant crying across levels of spouse support. The commentary argues that the current design cannot disentangle different explanations for the effects – whether they reflect general stress reactivity patterns or patterns occurring specifically in response to infant distress – and offers suggestions for ways in which to explore putative explanations in future studies. Understanding mechanisms is essential to identify risk factors for insensitive parenting.
{"title":"The Past is Present: Responses to Infant Crying Among Mothers High in Attachment Anxiety","authors":"J. Borelli","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1555417","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1555417","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS This commentary explores potential mechanisms underlying the links between mothers’ attachment anxiety and levels of salivary alpha amylase in response to infant crying across levels of spouse support. The commentary argues that the current design cannot disentangle different explanations for the effects – whether they reflect general stress reactivity patterns or patterns occurring specifically in response to infant distress – and offers suggestions for ways in which to explore putative explanations in future studies. Understanding mechanisms is essential to identify risk factors for insensitive parenting.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"39 1","pages":"22 - 25"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82780333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1556028
Margarete I. Bolten
SYNOPSIS Parental working is not unambiguously beneficial for children. On the one hand, working parents can be positive role models for their children, and income can improve children’s lives in many ways. On the other hand, work can impair parent-child interactions, especially when the parents experience high levels of working stress. In my commentary, I conclude that the paper by River, enjoys strong support for the impact of maternal state anxiety (attachment anxiety) and work-interfering-with-family (WIF)-conflict related guilt on parents behaviors. Considering the cognitive-relational stress-theory by Lazarus and Folkman, the balance of personal resources and external demands can explain parental stress, which could be associated with parental behavior. Full-time-working parents, who experience high levels of guilt and report high levels of attachment anxiety, are more prone to show low levels of stress resistance toward crying infants. However, these associations are not studied in families with high risk factors. Furthermore, future studies should include aspects of mental health status in a theoretical model. Taken together, the target article provides a solid foundation for further research. I also propose to transfer the findings into more realistic research setting, which includes high-risk groups (parents with low socioeconomic status, low-income, mental health problems) to study how infant cry can influence parents’ patterns of care and abuse. The commentary tries to enrich the study by including Fraiberg’s “ghosts in the nursery” to further integrating parental mentalizing processes in the model explaining parents’ reactions to infant cry signal in the context of WIF conflicts.
{"title":"Ghosts in the Nursery 2.0","authors":"Margarete I. Bolten","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1556028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1556028","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS Parental working is not unambiguously beneficial for children. On the one hand, working parents can be positive role models for their children, and income can improve children’s lives in many ways. On the other hand, work can impair parent-child interactions, especially when the parents experience high levels of working stress. In my commentary, I conclude that the paper by River, enjoys strong support for the impact of maternal state anxiety (attachment anxiety) and work-interfering-with-family (WIF)-conflict related guilt on parents behaviors. Considering the cognitive-relational stress-theory by Lazarus and Folkman, the balance of personal resources and external demands can explain parental stress, which could be associated with parental behavior. Full-time-working parents, who experience high levels of guilt and report high levels of attachment anxiety, are more prone to show low levels of stress resistance toward crying infants. However, these associations are not studied in families with high risk factors. Furthermore, future studies should include aspects of mental health status in a theoretical model. Taken together, the target article provides a solid foundation for further research. I also propose to transfer the findings into more realistic research setting, which includes high-risk groups (parents with low socioeconomic status, low-income, mental health problems) to study how infant cry can influence parents’ patterns of care and abuse. The commentary tries to enrich the study by including Fraiberg’s “ghosts in the nursery” to further integrating parental mentalizing processes in the model explaining parents’ reactions to infant cry signal in the context of WIF conflicts.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"111 1","pages":"168 - 172"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79149492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1555427
James A. Green
SYNOPSIS Zeifman et al. present a study of fathers’ and non-fathers’ caregiving in response to infant crying. The associations among testosterone, amount of crying, and parental status were evaluated in a laboratory paradigm using a realistic infant simulator. Although fathers did not show lower levels of testosterone, men who listened to greater amounts of crying showed significant increases in testosterone, and men who increased in testosterone had less optimal caregiving. Hormonal influences on parental behavior, which have been studied extensively in non-human animals, are now being explicated in humans. Zeifman et al. help advance this area of research.
{"title":"Guys and Dolls, and Testosterone","authors":"James A. Green","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1555427","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1555427","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS Zeifman et al. present a study of fathers’ and non-fathers’ caregiving in response to infant crying. The associations among testosterone, amount of crying, and parental status were evaluated in a laboratory paradigm using a realistic infant simulator. Although fathers did not show lower levels of testosterone, men who listened to greater amounts of crying showed significant increases in testosterone, and men who increased in testosterone had less optimal caregiving. Hormonal influences on parental behavior, which have been studied extensively in non-human animals, are now being explicated in humans. Zeifman et al. help advance this area of research.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"12 1","pages":"59 - 61"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79249048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1556021
C. Hechler, R. Beijers, M. Riksen-Walraven, C. de Weerth
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.
本研究表明,对啼哭模拟婴儿的产前护理行为质量预测了母亲和父亲的产后护理行为质量。
{"title":"Studying Quality of Caregiving Behavior: The Roles of Infant, Mother, Father, and Culture","authors":"C. Hechler, R. Beijers, M. Riksen-Walraven, C. de Weerth","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1556021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1556021","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"56 1","pages":"133 - 136"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75883175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1556027
V. P. Senese, A. Azhari, I. Cataldo
SYNOPSIS Does work-family conflict influence parental behaviors and parenting-related emotional states? Through an experimental research approach, River and colleagues showed that work-family conflict influences both emotions and parental behaviors, but the effect is moderated by the quality of the intimate relationship. In this commentary, we offer an interpretation of the results congruent with the recent theoretical approaches that stress the need for a multisystem psycho-biological approach to studying the factors that regulate parenting behaviors. In this perspective, we provide complementary explanations of the observed results and suggest possible future directions for research on these topics.
{"title":"A Multisystem Psycho-Biological Approach to the Understanding of Parental Dispositions","authors":"V. P. Senese, A. Azhari, I. Cataldo","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1556027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1556027","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS Does work-family conflict influence parental behaviors and parenting-related emotional states? Through an experimental research approach, River and colleagues showed that work-family conflict influences both emotions and parental behaviors, but the effect is moderated by the quality of the intimate relationship. In this commentary, we offer an interpretation of the results congruent with the recent theoretical approaches that stress the need for a multisystem psycho-biological approach to studying the factors that regulate parenting behaviors. In this perspective, we provide complementary explanations of the observed results and suggest possible future directions for research on these topics.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"50 1","pages":"164 - 167"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85286236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1556023
Laura M. River, J. Borelli, S. K. Nelson-Coffey
SYNOPSIS Objective. Working parents of young children often face work–family conflict, but little is known about the impact of this stressor on distress tolerance in the parenting role. We examined whether work–family conflict is associated with heightened work–family guilt and reduced infant distress tolerance, and we tested whether these effects are strongest among parents high in attachment anxiety. Design. In an experimental study of 233 parents of children ages 1–3 years, parents first reported their attachment anxiety, then were randomly assigned to read a vignette depicting a subtype of work–family conflict—work-interfering-with-family (WIF) conflict—or to an attention control condition. Finally, parents reported their feelings of WIF-guilt and completed an infant distress tolerance paradigm. Results. Attachment anxiety predicted greater WIF-guilt and less distress tolerance cry task persistence and moderated associations between experimental condition and outcomes: Parents with low attachment anxiety reported less WIF-guilt when primed with WIF-conflict than parents with average or high attachment anxiety, and parents with high attachment anxiety displayed less distress tolerance when primed compared to parents with low or average attachment anxiety. Conclusions. Working parents with low attachment anxiety may fare better emotionally in the face of WIF-conflict than their peers with higher attachment anxiety. High attachment anxiety may represent a risk factor for the negative effects of WIF-conflict on distress tolerance in response to infant crying. Future work should explore interventions to support working parents with high attachment anxiety.
{"title":"Tolerance of Infant Distress Among Working Parents: Examining the Roles of Attachment Anxiety and Work–Family Conflict","authors":"Laura M. River, J. Borelli, S. K. Nelson-Coffey","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1556023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1556023","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS Objective. Working parents of young children often face work–family conflict, but little is known about the impact of this stressor on distress tolerance in the parenting role. We examined whether work–family conflict is associated with heightened work–family guilt and reduced infant distress tolerance, and we tested whether these effects are strongest among parents high in attachment anxiety. Design. In an experimental study of 233 parents of children ages 1–3 years, parents first reported their attachment anxiety, then were randomly assigned to read a vignette depicting a subtype of work–family conflict—work-interfering-with-family (WIF) conflict—or to an attention control condition. Finally, parents reported their feelings of WIF-guilt and completed an infant distress tolerance paradigm. Results. Attachment anxiety predicted greater WIF-guilt and less distress tolerance cry task persistence and moderated associations between experimental condition and outcomes: Parents with low attachment anxiety reported less WIF-guilt when primed with WIF-conflict than parents with average or high attachment anxiety, and parents with high attachment anxiety displayed less distress tolerance when primed compared to parents with low or average attachment anxiety. Conclusions. Working parents with low attachment anxiety may fare better emotionally in the face of WIF-conflict than their peers with higher attachment anxiety. High attachment anxiety may represent a risk factor for the negative effects of WIF-conflict on distress tolerance in response to infant crying. Future work should explore interventions to support working parents with high attachment anxiety.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"40 1","pages":"137 - 159"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77728030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-02-01DOI: 10.1080/15295192.2019.1556005
D. Zeifman, A. Baird
SYNOPSIS The authors comment on a paper reporting differences between mothers and non-mothers in neural responses to infant cries and other emotive sounds while engaging in self- or goal-oriented tasks. The value of examining deactivation of the default mode network (DMN) as a means of understanding differential attention patterns in both typical and atypical populations is discussed, as is the generalizability of the experimental paradigm to ecologically relevant contexts. The role of an individual’s age, parental status, and experience in shaping responses to infant crying is considered, and future avenues of research are suggested. An argument is made for coupling neuroimaging techniques with behavioral assays to better understand the determinants of maternal behavior.
{"title":"A Glimpse into the Minds of Mothers: The Default Mode Network and Responsiveness to Infant Cries","authors":"D. Zeifman, A. Baird","doi":"10.1080/15295192.2019.1556005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1556005","url":null,"abstract":"SYNOPSIS The authors comment on a paper reporting differences between mothers and non-mothers in neural responses to infant cries and other emotive sounds while engaging in self- or goal-oriented tasks. The value of examining deactivation of the default mode network (DMN) as a means of understanding differential attention patterns in both typical and atypical populations is discussed, as is the generalizability of the experimental paradigm to ecologically relevant contexts. The role of an individual’s age, parental status, and experience in shaping responses to infant crying is considered, and future avenues of research are suggested. An argument is made for coupling neuroimaging techniques with behavioral assays to better understand the determinants of maternal behavior.","PeriodicalId":47432,"journal":{"name":"Parenting-Science and Practice","volume":"217 1","pages":"90 - 93"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2019-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75031835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}