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Parenting the Crying Infant

Debra M Zeifman1, Ian St James-Roberts2

  • 1Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, 124 Raymond Avenue, Mailbox 582, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604 USA.

Current Opinion in Psychology
|July 8, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Infant crying provides diagnostic clues but can overwhelm parents, increasing abuse risk. Support programs are being developed to help parents cope with excessive infant crying and improve wellbeing.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Infant crying offers insights into neurological health and state.
  • Excessive or inconsolable crying can cause parental stress and increase infant abuse risk.
  • Adults exhibit physiological and neural responses to infant crying, potentially linked to maltreatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the diagnostic value of infant crying.
  • To understand the impact of infant crying on parents and potential risks.
  • To review the development of support programs for parents experiencing challenges with infant crying.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review on infant crying, parental responses, and intervention programs.
  • Analysis of research on physiological and neural responses to crying.
  • Evaluation of preliminary findings from parental support programs.

Main Results:

  • Infant crying serves as a diagnostic indicator but can also be a significant stressor for parents.
  • Parental vulnerabilities and high exposure to crying can contribute to negative reactions.
  • Developing support programs show promise in enhancing parenting and parental wellbeing.

Conclusions:

  • Infant crying assessment is crucial for understanding infant health.
  • Recognizing the universal challenge of infant crying is essential for effective support.
  • Intervention programs offer a promising approach to mitigate risks associated with infant crying and support families.

Keywords:
colicinfant conditioninfant cryingparent-child bondingparenting

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