The purpose of this project is to determine if maternal sensitivity to distress and maternal sensitivity to non- distress are unique constructs by: 1) examining their factor structure, 2) determining if they have different origins with an emphasis on emotion socialization in the family of origin and resulting emotion-related schema;and 3) determining if they differentially predict infant social emotional adjustment. An additional aim is to determine if the results vary between African American and European American dyads. This work is relevant to the mental health of children because maternal sensitivity to distress is a predictor of positive child outcomes, but we know little about the processes that promote sensitive behavior in response to infant crying. Identifying the processes that influence how mothers respond to their distressed infants and the origins of these processes will inform the development of screening tools to identify mothers at risk for parenting difficulties and the design of individually tailored intervention efforts to foster sensitive maternal behavior and positive social emotional functioning early in life. Two hundred and fifty primiparous mothers (150 European American, 100 African American) and their infants will participate in this study. During the prenatal period, mothers will complete questionnaires and an interview about their relationship with their own parents and will be interviewed about their responses to videotapes of distressed infants;physiological indices of arousal and emotional control will be collected during the latter. At 6 and 12 months postpartum, mothers and infants will participate in videotaped assessments of maternal sensitivity to distress and non-distress, infant temperament and emotion regulation, and attachment security. Physiological indices of mothers'and infants'emotional arousal and emotional control will be collected during these mother-infant interaction tasks. Upon completion of these tasks, mothers will watch their video footage and be interviewed about their thoughts, emotions, and goals and their infants'behavior during the tasks. Results will extend our knowledge of the processes that influence maternal sensitivity in emotionally arousing settings, a critical context for children's emotional development.

Public Health Relevance

The proposed research addresses emotional and cognitive factors relevant to sensitive maternal behavior in response to infant crying. Prior research has demonstrated that maternal sensitivity to distress facilitates optimal social-emotional functioning early in life;however, little is known about the origins of this type of parenting behavior. The examination of familial and personal characteristics that predict this type of maternal sensitivity will yield rich data that can inform the development of early intervention strategies and procedures to identify families in need of such services.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HD058578-01A1
Application #
7647866
Study Section
Psychosocial Development, Risk and Prevention Study Section (PDRP)
Program Officer
Esposito, Layla E
Project Start
2009-06-15
Project End
2013-04-30
Budget Start
2009-06-15
Budget End
2010-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$295,786
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
616152567
City
Greensboro
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27402
Qu, Jin; Leerkes, Esther M (2018) Patterns of RSA and observed distress during the still-face paradigm predict later attachment, compliance and behavior problems: A person-centered approach. Dev Psychobiol 60:707-721
Su, Jinni; Leerkes, Esther M; Augustine, Mairin E (2018) DRD4 interacts with adverse life events in predicting maternal sensitivity via emotion regulation. J Fam Psychol 32:783-792
Cao, Hongjian; Zhou, Nan; Leerkes, Esther M et al. (2018) Multiple domains of new mothers' adaptation: Interrelations and roots in childhood maternal nonsupportive emotion socialization. J Fam Psychol 32:575-587
Leerkes, Esther M; Zhou, Nan (2018) Maternal sensitivity to distress and attachment outcomes: Interactions with sensitivity to nondistress and infant temperament. J Fam Psychol 32:753-761
Yeo, S; Enoch, M-A; Gorodetsky, E et al. (2017) The influence of FKBP5 genotype on expression of FKBP5 and other glucocorticoid-regulated genes, dependent on trauma exposure. Genes Brain Behav 16:223-232
Raby, K Lee; Yarger, Heather A; Lind, Teresa et al. (2017) Attachment states of mind among internationally adoptive and foster parents. Dev Psychopathol 29:365-378
Norcross, Pamela Linton; Leerkes, Esther M; Zhou, Nan (2017) Examining pathways linking maternal depressive symptoms in infancy to children's behavior problems: The role of maternal unresponsiveness and negative behaviors. Infant Behav Dev 49:238-247
Leerkes, Esther; Qu, Jin (2017) The Maternal (Non) Responsiveness Questionnaire: Initial Factor Structure and Validation. Infant Child Dev 26:
Leerkes, Esther M; Gedaly, Lindsey R; Zhou, Nan et al. (2017) Further evidence of the limited role of candidate genes in relation to infant-mother attachment outcomes. Attach Hum Dev 19:76-105
Leerkes, E M; Su, J; Calkins, S et al. (2017) Variation in mothers' arginine vasopressin receptor 1a and dopamine receptor D4 genes predicts maternal sensitivity via social cognition. Genes Brain Behav 16:233-240

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