{"title":"Differences in infant negative affectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Alyssa R. Morris, Darby E. Saxbe","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22061","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22061","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This longitudinal study compared infant temperament rated at 3 months postpartum by 263 United-States-based women who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic and 72 who gave birth prior to the pandemic. All women completed questionnaires assessing perinatal mental health, social contact, and infant temperament. Mothers whose infants were born during the pandemic reported higher levels of infant negative affectivity as compared with mothers whose infants were born earlier (<i>F</i>(1, 324) = 18.28, <i>p</i> < .001), but did not differ in their ratings of surgency or effortful control. Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms, prenatal stress, and postpartum stress mediated differences in infant negative affectivity between pandemic and pre-pandemic groups. Within the pandemic group, decreased postpartum social contact was associated with higher ratings of infant negative affectivity. These findings suggest that the pandemic has affected maternal perceptions of infant temperament, perinatal mental health, and social contact.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22061","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9834056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brenda L. Volling, Lin Tan, Lauren Rosenberg, Lauren R. Bader
{"title":"Will I love my second baby as much as my first? Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of maternal-fetal relationship anxiety for second-time mothers","authors":"Brenda L. Volling, Lin Tan, Lauren Rosenberg, Lauren R. Bader","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22060","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22060","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Most mothers have more than one child. Second-time mothers may worry about whether they will love the second baby as much as their first child. The current study examined mothers’ maternal-fetal relationship anxiety (MFRA) to their second baby, the prediction of mother-infant bonding (MIB) and infant-mother attachment security post-partum, and the psychosocial correlates of mothers’ MFRA during pregnancy. Mothers (<i>N</i> = 241, 85.9% White, 5.4% Black, 2.9% Asian/American, 3.7% Latina) and their second-born infants (55% boys) living in the Midwestern United States participated in a longitudinal investigation starting in the last trimester of pregnancy, and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Most women reported little to no anxiety about forming an attachment to their second baby (89.1%). MFRA predicted less maternal warmth toward the baby at 1, 4, and 8 months postpartum, but did not predict security of the infant-mother attachment at 12 months. Prenatal MFRA was also related to maternal depressive symptoms, an insecure attachment with the first child, more marital distress, and more adult attachment avoidance and ambivalence prenatally. Mothers worrying about loving a second baby as much as their first child may be experiencing other psychosocial risks that have repercussions for the developing mother-infant relationship.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22060","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9831554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meredith E. Bagwell-Gray, Whitney Grube, Amy Mendenhall, Sarah Jen, Omowunmi Olaleye, Patricia Sattler
{"title":"A qualitative exploration of caregivers’ experiences with the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) parenting program","authors":"Meredith E. Bagwell-Gray, Whitney Grube, Amy Mendenhall, Sarah Jen, Omowunmi Olaleye, Patricia Sattler","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22057","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22057","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In the face of childhood adversity, services and interventions can improve a child's life trajectory by promoting healthy development, enhancing protective factors, and building resilience through stable and supportive relationships. One such service, a specific and highly researched home visiting intervention, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), is often provided to families through home visiting service programs. This qualitative descriptive study examines the experiences of caregivers (<i>N</i> = 18) who received ABC as part of a statewide early childhood initiative in one midwestern state. Participants provided insight into the context of their lives before and during the intervention. They described their perspectives of the utility of the program and its influence on their family's behaviors and interactions. Findings demonstrate that coaching support bolstered caregivers’ confidence in effective strategies and guided them through caregiving challenges. Caregivers observed growth in their caregiving practices, their infants’ and young children's social and emotional skills, and their dyadic caregiver-child relationships, demonstrating the benefits of participating in and completing the ABC intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22057","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9494831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amy Walsh, Bridget Tiernan, Brent Thompson, David McCormack, Pauline Adair
{"title":"‘Nobody taught her how to be a mother’: The lived experience of mothering without a mother","authors":"Amy Walsh, Bridget Tiernan, Brent Thompson, David McCormack, Pauline Adair","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22059","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22059","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Maternal grandmothers play a vital role in the transition to motherhood for their own daughters. The current study adds to this literature by investigating the lived experience of motherhood for women who lacked a meaningful relationship with their mothers. Ten mothers of children under 2 years of age participated in a semi-structured interview to explore their lived experiences of being a mother. Women were recruited from two parent-infant services in Northern Ireland. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three superordinate themes were identified: ‘The Birth of a Mother’, ‘Mourning and Loss’ and ‘Ghosts in the Nursery’. The first theme captured the significant change of identity women experienced during their transition to motherhood. This identity change shed new light on their own experience of being mothered. The second theme captured the mourning and loss these women felt due to their relationship with their mother. Their lack of meaningful maternal relationships have left a hole impossible to fill. The final theme spoke to the intergenerational element of these mother's experience and their desire to break a cycle of maternal deprivation. The rich content from the interviews highlights the need for services to be aware of this struggle of motherhood.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22059","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10210958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Caitlin Lombardi, Anne Bladen, Mary Tabb Foley, Meg Galante-DeAngelis, Kim Larrabee, JoAnn Robinson
{"title":"Promoting reflective practice in an infant and early childhood training program","authors":"Caitlin Lombardi, Anne Bladen, Mary Tabb Foley, Meg Galante-DeAngelis, Kim Larrabee, JoAnn Robinson","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22056","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22056","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Reflective practices provide a supportive base through which preservice infant and early childhood teachers and allied professionals can achieve knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to support young children and their families. This paper is a program description that describes the rationale for infusing reflective practices into the learning goals for preservice early childhood training, highlighting the specific reflection skills from the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Competency Guidelines. We describe how one university early childhood training program promotes student reflection skills referencing three distinct perspectives: (1) why reflection is essential to developing knowledge and skills; (2) the role group reflection plays in sustaining deep knowledge and skill development for students and faculty; (3) how faculty promote students’ awareness of the connection between personal experience and professional dispositions through reflection during practicum experiences. The benefits and challenges of embedding reflective practices in preservice early childhood training are also discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22056","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9837044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reflections on the Infant Mental Health Endorsement® process in Virginia","authors":"Kasey Dye, Christine Spence, Jackie Robinson Brock","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.22058","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study was conducted to gather information to inform key stakeholders in Virginia's Early Childhood Mental Health workforce who are involved in the Infant Mental Health Endorsement<sup>®</sup>. An “Endorsement<sup>®</sup> indicates an individual's efforts to specialize in the promotion and practice of infant or early childhood mental health within his/her own chosen discipline” (Virginia Association for Infant Mental Health, 2021). The following research questions guided this study: (1) who is part of the infant mental health endorsed workforce in Virginia; (2) what are the benefits and barriers to the Endorsement<sup>®</sup> process. A total of 115 individuals who were or are involved in the Endorsement<sup>®</sup> as endorsees or advisors were participants in the study. Participants cited many benefits of obtaining their Infant Mental Health Endorsement<sup>®</sup>, including general professional development and connecting to other professionals in the field. Barriers to obtaining the Endorsement<sup>®</sup> included time and financial restraints related to obtaining reflective supervision from a qualified Reflective Supervisor. Results from the study will be used to inform the Infant Mental Health Endorsement<sup>®</sup> process, and applied to the Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement<sup>®</sup> in 2023.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22058","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50134489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Izaak Lim, Jon Korfmacher, Alison Steier, Charles Zeanah, Paula D. Zeanah
{"title":"The ethics of infant and early childhood mental health practice","authors":"Izaak Lim, Jon Korfmacher, Alison Steier, Charles Zeanah, Paula D. Zeanah","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22055","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22055","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ethics is concerned with the basis for moral judgments of “right” and “wrong” and is central to the clinical endeavor. Many clinicians integrate ethical estimations into their work without much conscious awareness. However, explicit use of ethical principles and frameworks can help navigate clinical decision-making when there is a sense of moral conflict or ambiguity about the “right” course of action. This article aims to highlight the key concepts and principles in clinical ethics as they apply to IECMH practice and stimulate a bigger conversation in the profession around how to support each other to maintain high ethical standards in working with young children and their families. Specifically, the authors consider the relevance of Beauchamp and Childress’ four principles framework (respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice), and address some of the special ethical challenges in the field, namely, the vulnerability of the infant, the need for a competent workforce, caring for caregivers, and the problem of multiple patients. Finally, the role of infant rights is briefly explored, noting the significant interest and debate that has been generated by the publication of the World Association of Infant Mental Health's <i>Position Paper on the Rights of Infants</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22055","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10295380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marian E. Williams, Ashley M. Rediker, Kathleen Mulrooney
{"title":"Clinical use and implementation of the diagnostic classification of mental health and developmental disorders of infancy and early childhood","authors":"Marian E. Williams, Ashley M. Rediker, Kathleen Mulrooney","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22054","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22054","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The <i>Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood (DC: 0–5</i>) was developed to provide a framework for diagnosis of infants and young children, and a training curriculum supports implementation of the manual in clinical practice. This study surveyed 100 mental health clinicians (93% female and 53% Latinx/Hispanic) who had completed training in the DC: 0–5 classification system and worked with infants/young children and their families primarily in urban, public insurance-funded, community mental health settings in the United States. The survey explored their use of the diagnostic manual in clinical practice as well as supports and barriers to implementation. Survey results indicated a high level of adoption of the manual in clinical practice, although all five axes and the cultural formulation were used less often than the Axis I Clinical Disorders section. Barriers to implementation included systemic issues such as agency and billing requirements necessitating simultaneous use of other diagnostic manuals, lack of supports and expertise within their agency, and difficulty making time to fully utilize the manual. The findings suggest that policy and systems changes may be needed to enable clinicians to fully integrate the DC: 0–5 into their case conceptualizations.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/imhj.22054","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9588780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The protective effects of social support and family functioning on parenting stress among Hispanic/Latino/a American immigrant parents with traumatic life experiences: A mediation analysis","authors":"Mihoko Maru, Ruth Paris, Meital Simhi","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22053","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22053","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite high rates of traumatic experiences reported among Hispanic/Latino/a immigrants in the U.S., the effect of post-traumatic stress on parenting stress among Hispanic/Latino/a immigrant parents with young children has been overlooked. The present study tested the direct and indirect relationships of self-reported maternal post-traumatic stress symptoms on parenting stress, and the mediating role of protective factors among Hispanic/Latino/a mothers with young children. Baseline data collected from mothers participating in a community-based child-parent dyadic intervention were analyzed. Measures included the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist, the Protective Factors Survey, and the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI). The sample included 80 mothers with a child between ages 0–6 years. About 75% of these mothers were migrants from Central America. A multivariate regression analysis showed that maternal post-traumatic stress symptoms predicted higher levels of PSI, and two protective factors (social support and family functioning/resilience) fully mediated the relationship between maternal post-traumatic stress symptoms and PSI. Higher social support and family functioning/resiliency may have protective effects on Hispanic/Latino/a mothers with post-traumatic stress, leading to lower levels of stress related to parenting. Findings underscore the importance of interventions that enhance access to social support and promote family functioning/resilience for Hispanic/Latino/a immigrant mothers with trauma histories to cope better with parenting stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9554627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bringing a mentalizing framework to understanding mothers with addiction: The groundbreaking work of Nancy E. Suchman","authors":"Arietta Slade","doi":"10.1002/imhj.22051","DOIUrl":"10.1002/imhj.22051","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Nancy Suchman is remembered as a pioneer whose mentalization-based intervention—Mothering from the Inside Out (MIO)—transformed the treatment of parents struggling with substance use disorders. Specifically, Suchman's work highlighted the neural mechanisms underlying substance use disorders and identified the promotion of parental mentalizing as a key therapeutic focus in enhancing early parent-child relationships. Her work transformed parenting support models for this population of parents. Several randomized controlled trials (RCT) show the effectiveness of MIO in promoting parental reflective functioning (PRF) and positive relational outcomes in parents with substance use disorders and their children. Suchman's MIO model has since been extended to parenting in many contexts. She is also remembered as a generous colleague, a gifted researcher and clinician, and an inspiration to generations of researchers and practitioners working with parents who aspire to raise healthy, secure children despite multiple challenges and adversities. This special issue compiles the work of researchers inspired by Suchman as they carry on her legacy in examining aspects of parental mentalization. Collectively, the research presented yields confirmation of MIO core assumptions, offers new insights into roles of positive sentiment and savoring in mentalization processes, and presents evaluations of MIO in multiple contexts and with new adaptations.</p>","PeriodicalId":48026,"journal":{"name":"Infant Mental Health Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9556496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}