Major influences on maternal responsiveness to infants

Thirty healthy, middle-class mothers were interviewed during their postpartum hospital stay to identify major influences on mothers' responses to their infants. Sullivan's theorem of tenderness served as a guide for exploring maternal responsiveness. Three major categories, infant tenderness needs, maternal perception, and maternal needs, and their related properties, were described. Support persons were viewed as very important. Mothers also believed that some infant needs were more important than others. Finally, mothers felt that they were constantly faced with priorities, and that the emotional state of the mother and infant often influenced their interaction.