Stress as a predictor of the quality of parent-infant interactions.

Three predictor variables--vulnerability to stress, expectations for parenting stress, and low power attributions--were assessed for 21 couples during pregnancy. In-home observations of parent-infant interactions occurred 4 months postnatally. Stepwise multiple regression analyses, calculated separately for mothers and fathers, revealed that prenatal stress factors were more successful in predicting father-infant interactions. On the interaction variable basic care, 67% of the variance was explained by fathers' parenting stress expectations, stress vulnerability, and attributions for low power, whereas only 2% of the variance on basic care was explained by maternal scores on the same variables. Results of this study indicated that parent-infant interactions are affected by parental attitudes and personality characteristics. The present research also underscored the continued need to study the differential effects of gender on parent-infant interactions.