OBJECTIVES: The current study investigated the relationships between maternal emotional availability and infant pain expressions. METHODS: A group of 73 mother-infant dyads were recruited prior to their routine immunization appointment and were subsequently filmed. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that maternal non-intrusiveness was related to lower infant pain expressions both immediately and 1 min following needle. In addition, maternal sensitivity and overall emotional availability were related to lower infant pain expressions 1 min after needle. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that intrusive caregiving behaviors can increase infant pain reactivity and hinder the regulation of pain-related distress. On the other hand, sensitive and emotionally available caregiving help infants to regulate their pain-related distress. The results support that infant pain expressions are related to the quality of maternal caregiving.
OBJECTIVES: The current study investigated the relationships between maternal emotional availability and infantpain expressions. METHODS: A group of 73 mother-infant dyads were recruited prior to their routine immunization appointment and were subsequently filmed. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that maternal non-intrusiveness was related to lower infantpain expressions both immediately and 1 min following needle. In addition, maternal sensitivity and overall emotional availability were related to lower infantpain expressions 1 min after needle. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that intrusive caregiving behaviors can increase infantpain reactivity and hinder the regulation of pain-related distress. On the other hand, sensitive and emotionally available caregiving help infants to regulate their pain-related distress. The results support that infantpain expressions are related to the quality of maternal caregiving.
Authors: Rebecca E Rosenberg; Rachael A Clark; Patricia Chibbaro; H Rhodes Hambrick; Jean-Marie Bruzzese; Chris Feudtner; Alan Mendelsohn Journal: Hosp Pediatr Date: 2017-05-16