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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
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Developmental origins of infant emotion regulation: Mediation by temperamental negativity and moderation by maternal

Jenna C Thomas1, Nicole Letourneau2, Tavis S Campbell3

  • 1Department of Psychology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary.

Developmental Psychology
|March 24, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal anxiety and cortisol patterns impact infant temperament. Maternal sensitivity further influences infant emotion regulation, highlighting the combined prenatal and postnatal effects on early development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Maternal-Fetal Health
  • Neuroendocrinology

Background:

  • Emotion regulation is critical for cognitive, social, and emotional development.
  • Difficulties in emotion regulation during infancy predict later socioemotional, academic, and behavioral challenges.
  • Prenatal factors are increasingly recognized as significant contributors to developmental outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of prenatal exposures on infant emotion regulation.
  • To examine the roles of maternal prenatal depression, pregnancy anxiety, and diurnal cortisol patterns.
  • To assess the moderating effect of maternal sensitivity on the relationship between prenatal factors and infant emotion regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed 254 mother-infant pairs regarding prenatal depression, anxiety, and cortisol patterns (cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal slope) in early and late pregnancy.
  • Measured infant temperamental negativity at 3 months using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised.
  • Evaluated maternal sensitivity and infant emotion regulation behaviors at 6 months using the Parent Child Interaction Teaching Scale and Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery.

Main Results:

  • Higher early pregnancy anxiety and a blunted CAR in late pregnancy predicted increased infant temperamental negativity at 3 months.
  • Infants with higher temperamental negativity exhibited fewer attentional regulation strategies and more avoidance behaviors at 6 months.
  • Maternal sensitivity moderated this effect, with elevated infant negativity linked to maladaptive emotion regulation at lower levels of maternal sensitivity.

Conclusions:

  • Infant emotion regulation development is shaped by prenatal exposures affecting infant temperament.
  • Postnatal caregiving, specifically maternal sensitivity, further modifies these developmental pathways.
  • Integrating prenatal influences with postnatal factors provides a comprehensive understanding of infant emotion regulation.

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