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Updated: Feb 22, 2026
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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
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Everyday maternal sensitivity to distress is dynamic and systematically varies across contexts
Kaya de Barbaro1, Anna Madden-Rusnak1
1Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
Child Development
|February 20, 2026
Summary
Caregiver sensitivity to infant distress varies greatly throughout the day. Factors like media use and emotionally intense interactions impact caregiver responsiveness to infant needs at home.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Caregiving Studies
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Understanding caregiver sensitivity is crucial for infant development.
- Previous research often lacks real-world, in-home observational data.
- Variability in caregiver responses can impact infant well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate caregiver sensitivity to infant distress in natural home settings.
- To identify contextual factors influencing caregiver responsiveness across a full day.
- To analyze the within-person variability in caregiver sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized full-day audio recordings from infant-worn devices (approx. 23 hours per family).
- Annotated episodes of infant distress and corresponding caregiver sensitivity.
- Analyzed data from 38 families with infants (average age 4.5 months).
Main Results:
- Significant within-person variability in caregiver sensitivity to infant distress (77% of variance).
- Maternal media use correlated with lower sensitivity between mothers.
- Emotionally intense interactions predicted lower sensitivity both within and between mothers.
Conclusions:
- Caregiver responses to infant distress are highly variable in home environments.
- Everyday contexts, such as media use and interaction intensity, significantly shape caregiving quality.
- Findings highlight the dynamic nature of infant caregiving and its contextual dependencies.
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