Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-04-25T00:00:00Z
Objective: Poor emotion regulation in early development has been related to negative child outcomes and is expected to be influenced by interactions with primary caregivers. This study examines the...Show moreObjective: Poor emotion regulation in early development has been related to negative child outcomes and is expected to be influenced by interactions with primary caregivers. This study examines the relation between infant emotion regulation and maternal self-regulation. Method: The sample consisted of 132 infant-mother dyads. Maternal emotion regulation (ER) problems and executive functioning (EF) problems were assessed during pregnancy by means of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function—Adult version. At six months of age, infant’s behavioral and physiological stress responses were observed during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). Results: In response to the still face, infants showed an increase in heart rate and negative affect, and a decrease in positive affect and gaze. Infants of mothers with more ER problems showed more reactivity on heart rate, and arching and squirming. During the still face, infant self-soothing behavior increased. In response to the reunion positive affect, gaze, self-soothing behavior and negative affect increased, while arching and squirming behavior decreased. Infants of mothers with more ER problems, but few EF problems, showed less gaze during the still face, and higher levels of negative affect in general. Conclusion: This study underlines that a mother’s capacities to self-regulate influence the infant’s stress system and the emotional development of their infant. Helping mothers to enhance their own ER capacities could possibly decrease the risk for future psychopathology for their infants.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-07-19T00:00:00Z
Objective. To examine the effect of the parenting style of the mother on the relation between maternal depression and the infant’s stress response system. Method. The sample consisted of 55 mothers...Show moreObjective. To examine the effect of the parenting style of the mother on the relation between maternal depression and the infant’s stress response system. Method. The sample consisted of 55 mothers and their infants. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed during pregnancy and when the infant was six months old, by means of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Maternal parenting style was observed from mother-infant interaction during the Still Face Paradigm, when the infant was six months old. When the infant was 12 months old, a stress-paradigm was conducted during which both physiological and behavioral measures of infant stress reactivity were obtained. Results. Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms were found to be negatively related to maternal sensitivity. In addition, maternal prenatal as well as postnatal depressive symptoms were found to predict infant baseline heart rate, infant stress reactivity and infant heart rate recovery, but only in interaction with certain characteristics of the mother’s parenting style. Conclusions. The present study underlines that the way a mother interacts with her child is very important for the development of the child’s neurobiological system and that her parenting style can either buffer or enhance the effect of maternal psychopathology. Teaching mothers at risk how to interact positively and adequately with their child and how to respond to its needs, could possibly decrease the deleterious effects of maternal depression on child development.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-07-19T00:00:00Z
This study investigated whether maternal reflective functioning was related to maternal sensitivity during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). It was investigated whether the SFP elicited the still face...Show moreThis study investigated whether maternal reflective functioning was related to maternal sensitivity during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). It was investigated whether the SFP elicited the still face effect. Additionally, the effect of maternal sensitivity on infants’ regulatory behaviors during the SFP was examined. Infants’ stress reactivity during the SFP was explored using skin conductance levels. Maternal risk status and infants’ temperament has been taken into account. The sample consisted of 52 mother-infant dyads (mean age infants 5.96 months). Reflective functioning was measured with an interview around 27 weeks of pregnancy. During a home-visit the SFP was administered and mothers reported about the infants’ temperament using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. Infant and maternal behaviors were coded based on the SFP. Results indicated that the still face effect was found for arching and squirming, while it was not found for self-soothing behavior. Preliminary results showed an increased skin conductance level, and thus stress reactivity, over the whole SFP. Furthermore, maternal reflective functioning was found as predictor of maternal sensitivity during the SFP. Higher levels of maternal sensitivity predicted more self-soothing behaviors during the first minute of the reunion and less arching and squirming behaviors during the second minute of the reunion. It was not related to any other regulatory behaviors measured. Infants’ temperament was not associated with infants’ regulatory behaviors. The findings of this study can be used in developing interventions to improve maternal reflective functioning and sensitivity, which, in turn, can influence infants’ regulatory behaviors and emotional development.Show less
