Caregiver Soothing Behaviors After Immunization and Infant Attachment: A Longitudinal Analysis
Jessica Hillgrove-Stuart1, Rebecca Pillai Riddell, David B Flora
1*Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; †Department of Psychiatry Research, Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ‡Department of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Caregiver soothing behaviors during infant immunizations influence attachment. Higher soothing at 12 months promotes organized attachment, while decreases are linked to disorganized attachment.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Infant Mental Health
Background:
- Infant attachment is crucial for socio-emotional development.
- Immunization appointments are routine pediatric visits.
- Understanding caregiver-infant interactions during stress is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between caregiver behavior trajectories during infant immunization appointments and infant attachment.
- To investigate caregiver behaviors within immunization appointments and their link to infant attachment.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal cohort study with 130 caregivers and infants.
- Videotaped immunization appointments at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months.
- Attachment assessment between 12 and 18 months.
Main Results:
- Caregiver proximal soothing post-immunization was linked to infant attachment.
- Higher proximal soothing at 12 months correlated with organized infant attachment.
- Decreases in soothing across the first year were associated with disorganized attachment.
Conclusions:
- Studying infant attachment in pediatric pain contexts is ecologically valid.
- Pediatric well-baby visits can be used for infant mental health screening and intervention.
Objectives:
There were 2 primary objectives to the current study: (1) to relate caregiver behavior trajectories across immunization appointments over the first year of life to subsequent infant attachment and (2) to relate caregiver behavior trajectories within each immunization appointment over the first year of life to subsequent infant attachment.
Method:
A subsample of 130 caregivers and their infants were recruited from a sample of 760 caregivers who were part of an ongoing longitudinal cohort that videotaped infants' 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-month immunization appointments. This subsample of caregivers and their infants (n = 130) were invited to participate in an assessment of attachment when infants were between 12 and 18 months of age at the local children's hospital.
Results:
Caregiver proximal soothing behaviors were the only caregiver behaviors postimmunization that were related to subsequent infant attachment. Higher frequencies of caregiver proximal soothing at 12 months were related to infants' organized attachment, whereas steeper decreases in proximal soothing across the first year were associated with disorganized infant attachment. In addition, when caregivers engaged in proximal soothing for longer after their 12 month olds' immunizations, these infants were more likely to be secure or organized in their attachment.
Conclusion:
These results provide empirical support for the ecological validity of studying infant attachment in a pediatric pain context. The pediatric "well-baby" visit may provide a potential opportunity to feasibly integrate brief infant mental health screening and intervention.
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