The challenges of stillness: a longitudinal study about the associations between mothers' violations of the still-face, infant patterns of regulatory behavior, mother-infant interactive behavior, and infant attachment.

Abstract

Background: During the still-face (SF) episode of the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm (FFSF), mothers are instructed to remain still, unresponsive, and silent. However, some participants do not comply with these instructions, and researchers typically exclude them from their analyses. These mothers report feelings of anxiety and discomfort during SF. However, little is known about maternal SF violations and whether they are associated with other aspects of the mother-infant relationship.

Aims: In this experimental and longitudinal study, we compared mothers who violated the SF instructions to mothers who complied with them. We then focused on the group of mothers who violated the SF instructions, to investigate whether the type (i.e., those meant to soothe the infant vs. other violations), intensity (severe vs. mild), and form (verbal and non-verbal) of mothers' SF violations in the FFSF at 3 months postpartum were associated with infant regulatory behavior in FFSF, mother-infant free-play behavior at the same age, infant attachment at 12 months, or other infant or maternal/familial characteristics.

Methods: The participants included 54 mothers identified as violating the SF instructions at 3 months and their infants, and 296 mothers who did not violate the SF instructions. At 3 months, mother-infant dyads were videotaped during two successive interaction tasks: an unstructured free-play task followed by the FFSF paradigm. At 12 months, infant attachment was assessed in the Strange Situation.

Results: Mothers who violated the SF were less sensitive during mother-infant free play than mothers who complied with the SF instructions, and their infants were more cooperative and less likely to exhibit a disorganized/disoriented attachment. Among mothers who violated the SF instructions, those who did so to soothe their infant exhibited higher sensitivity during free play, and their infants were more likely to exhibit a Social Oriented pattern of regulatory behavior during the FFSF, than mothers who violated the SF for other reasons. Furthermore, their infants were more cooperative during free play, and at 12 months, more likely to have a secure attachment, and less likely to have a disorganized/disoriented attachment.

Conclusion: Possibly, mothers who violate the SF to soothe their infants are more empathic and more likely to be a "safe haven" in stressful situations, contributing to secure relationships. However, mothers who violated SF for other reasons need further investigation and are linked with disorganized/disoriented infant attachment.