Infants' stress responses and protest behaviors at childcare entry and the role of care providers
- PMID: 34196411
- DOI: 10.1002/dev.22156
Infants' stress responses and protest behaviors at childcare entry and the role of care providers
Abstract
During the transition from home to childcare, 70 15-month-old infants were videotaped, and their negative emotions were rated. Infants' attachments to mothers were assessed prior to child care entry and to care providers five months later using the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). Infant heart rate was monitored at home, during adaptation to childcare (mothers present), and during subsequent separations. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was computed from the beat-to-beat measures of heart rate to reflect vagal tone, which is reduced during chronic states of stress, and was collected upon Arrival, during in-group Play, and when in the Group more generally. All infants responded to childcare entry with low RSA levels indicating stress. However, during adaptation with the mother present, RSA was higher for securely attached infants. On the first separation day, 35.3% of the infants fussed and cried extensively. These intense protests predicted later secure attachments to care providers, which adaptively helped to reduce stress, especially in infants who protested extensively, as if summoning their mothers back. Because extensive protest suggests limited regulatory capacities, infants risk overburdening the stress system when left unsupported.
Keywords: care provider−child attachment; center-based care; child temperament; stress regulation; vagal tone.
© 2021 The Authors. Developmental Psychobiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Similar articles
-
Maternal separation and contact to a stranger more than reunion affect the autonomic nervous system in the mother-child dyad: ANS measurements during Strange Situation Procedure in mother-child dyad.Int J Psychophysiol. 2020 Jan;147:26-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.08.015. Epub 2019 Oct 24. Int J Psychophysiol. 2020. PMID: 31669323
-
Attachment status and mother-preschooler parasympathetic response to the strange situation procedure.Biol Psychol. 2016 Feb;114:39-48. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.12.008. Epub 2015 Dec 29. Biol Psychol. 2016. PMID: 26738633 Free PMC article.
-
Nonmaternal care hours and temperament predict infants' proximity-seeking behavior and attachment subgroups.Infant Behav Dev. 2014 Aug;37(3):352-65. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.05.007. Epub 2014 Jun 4. Infant Behav Dev. 2014. PMID: 24905902
-
Vagal activity, early growth and emotional development.Infant Behav Dev. 2008 Sep;31(3):361-73. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2007.12.008. Epub 2008 Mar 4. Infant Behav Dev. 2008. PMID: 18295898 Free PMC article. Review.
-
More than maternal sensitivity shapes attachment: infant coping and temperament.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006 Dec;1094:292-6. doi: 10.1196/annals.1376.037. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006. PMID: 17347364
Cited by
-
Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety.Front Integr Neurosci. 2022 May 10;16:871227. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2022.871227. eCollection 2022. Front Integr Neurosci. 2022. PMID: 35645742 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Attachment and stress regulation in socioeconomically disadvantaged children: Can public childcare compensate?Infant Ment Health J. 2021 Nov;42(6):839-850. doi: 10.1002/imhj.21878. Epub 2020 Jul 13. Infant Ment Health J. 2021. PMID: 32657459 Free PMC article.
References
REFERENCES
-
- Ahnert, L. (2021). Attachment to child care providers. In R. A. Thompson, J. A. Simpson, & L. Berlin (Eds.), Attachment: The fundamental questions (pp. 31-38). Guilford
-
- Ahnert, L., Gunnar, M., Lamb, M. E., & Barthel, M. (2004). Transition to childcare: Associations of infant-mother attachment, infant negative emotion and cortisol elevations. Child Development, 75, 639-650. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00698.x
-
- Ahnert, L., Pinquart, M., & Lamb, M. E. (2006). Security of children's relationships with nonparental care providers: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 77, 664-679. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00896.x
-
- Ahnert, L., Rickert, H., & Lamb, M. E. (2000). Shared caregiving: Comparison between home and childcare. Developmental Psychology, 74, 1044-1049. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00587
-
- Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Erlbaum.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical