Maternal and infant behavior and context associations with mutual emotion availability

Emotional availability (EA) is a prominent index of mutual socioemotional adaptation in the parent-infant dyad. This study examines zero-order and unique associations of multiple maternal and infant behavior and context indicators to variation in aspects of EA in mothers and their young infants. The associations to each were explored in separate analyses for maternal sensitivity and infant responsiveness in 369 European American mothers and their firstborn 5½-month-olds. Beyond zero-order relations, robust regression analyses revealed differentiated patterns of unique relations of mother and infant behavior and context indicators to the EA dimensions of maternal sensitivity and infant responsiveness. Although potential behavior and context relations to EA are many, prominent relations to maternal sensitivity and infant responsiveness are few, and patterns of association vary for the two dimensions of EA. Adequate EA is fundamental to a healthy parent-infant relationship, and understanding the behavior and context indicators associated with EA is fundamental to its enhancement.