Perceived infant problems and maternal interactional quality: An analysis of longitudinal relations

Abstract

A previous study showed a substantial positive correlation between maternal sensitivity during early face-to-face encounters acid infant problems reported by the mothers (Lohaus, Keller, Volker, Cappenberg & Chasiotis, 1997) which raised questions about the explanation of this relation. The purpose of the present study is to prove whether maternal interactional sensitivity increases during times of increased infant demands (explanation I) or whether maternal sensitivity constitutes a relative stable maternal feature that is related to an increased awareness for infant problems (explanation 2). In the present study, 20 mother-infant dyades were observed with weekly home visits during the first three months of the infants' life. At each measurement, maternal sensitivity was assessed and related to maternal reports about infant problems. The results do not reveal systematic intraindividual correlations between maternal sensitivity and perceived infant problems over the measurements. On the other hand, the intraindividual scores of maternal sensitivity rum out to be quite stable over time and indicate clear interindividual differences between the mothers. In addition, the mean score of each mother's sensitivity assessments correlates positively with the mean score of infant problems reported by the mothers which replicates the findings of the previous study. Taken together, the pattern of the results confirms the explanation of an increased awareness for infant problems in sensitive mothers (explanation 2).