Beyond Licking and Grooming: Maternal Regulation of Infant Stress in the Context of Routine Care

SYNOPSIS

Rodent epigenetic models of early maternal care have demonstrated that natural variations in maternal behavior shape the development of stress reactivity and social behavior in offspring. Rodent models have also revealed the “hidden” regulatory functions of specific dimensions of maternal behavior. Here we present research that has extended rodent models of early care to the study of biobehavioral development in human infants. Research showing contemporaneous and predictive associations between quality of maternal caregiving behavior (MCB) and early biobehavioral development is reviewed. New evidence demonstrating the proximal effects of MCB in early infancy on infant stress reactivity is reported and highlights the value of examining early parenting at the specific behavioral level. Future research should extend this domain-specific approach to the study of infant contributions to the early care environment. Implications for intervention are discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (HD# 17899) to Nathan A. Fox. We thank Noah Sandstrom for consultation on salivary cortisol methodologies; Betty Zimmerberg for consultation on rodent models; and Lindsay Moore for behavioral coding. We extend our most sincere gratitude to Rosalie Girard for her support in recruiting and to the families who continue to participate in this research.