[Early separation of the mother and infant and psychosocial development. I. Theoretical considerations]

Considerable concern has been expressed that separation of mother and child following birth may interfere with early parent - child relationships and give rise to problems in the later psychosocial development of the child. This review highlights recent studies about the delays in maternal attachment to the child, the negative maternal perception of the child compared with the expectation of an "average" baby, the persistent parental anxiety, the effects that early separation can have at least short-term, but also long-term, influences on patterns of parental behavior and on the development of the children.