Effects of six-day maternal separation on tonkean macaque infants

Maternal separation may induce a depressive state in infant macaques. However, this does not occur in all macaque species. From present hypotheses, it may be predicted that infants belonging to a species characterized by open and tolerant social relationships should not develop severe depressive symptoms. Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana) stand as such a species. The goal of the study was to verify that the infant's reaction to mother loss is related to the social environment. The mothers of eight 5- to 9-month-old infants were removed during 6-day experimental periods. Infants' behavior was characterized by a mild initial protest stage, followed by a slight decrease in activity during later maternal separation, and quick recovery after the mother's return. No despair stage occurred. During separation, group members compensated for mother's absence by cradling the infants. That social networks determine the intensity of the infant's response to separation has far-reaching implications with regard to the meaning of depression occurrence within social networks.