Maternal psychological vulnerability and early infant care in a sample of materially disadvantaged women

This study examined the relative contributions of maternal psychological vulnerability, adversity and deprivation to early infant care in a sample of multiply disadvantaged families. A major objective was to examine distinctive features of infant care which might help to explain the association between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and a variety of indicators of socio-economic disadvantage. Three home visits were made in the first 2 postnatal months. Detailed descriptive data about infant care practices were collected and maternal sensitive responsiveness towards the baby and practical child-centredness within the household were measured. Two components of psychological vulnerability, depression and personality disorder, were examined. Levels of adversity in the woman's life, the quality of her relationships and the emotional context and adversity related to the baby were also examined. High psychological vulnerability, rather than high deprivation or high adversity, was associated with lower levels of maternal responsiveness and child-centredness. In addition, lower levels of maternal responsiveness and child-centredness and aspects of infant care were related to negative feelings about being a mother, and to perceiving the baby as difficult. The study findings highlight the importance of including maternal psychological vulnerability in future studies of the impact of social disadvantage on infant care.