Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T19:26:41.528Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Intrusive and Withdrawn Behaviours of Mothers Interacting with Their Infants and Boyfriends

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 1999

Sybil Hart
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, U.S.A.
Tiffany Field
Affiliation:
Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, U.S.A.
Nancy Jones
Affiliation:
Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, U.S.A.
Regina Yando
Affiliation:
Harvard School of Medicine, Cambridge, U.S.A.
Get access

Abstract

Investigated stability and change in intrusive and withdrawn interaction behaviours of 23 mothers in Study 1 and 31 mothers in Study 2. Comparisons between mother–infant and mother–boyfriend interactions revealed that mothers who had been withdrawn with their infants were quiet, bored-looking, physically distant, and underinvolved with their boyfriends. Mothers who had been intrusive with their infants were verbally sharp and controlling with their boyfriends. These findings suggested stability across social contexts. Comparing maternal responding to instructions to think about themselves (self-focus) or their infants (infant-focus) revealed that infant-focusing attenuated intrusive behavior among intrusive mothers and self-focusing attenuated negative affect among withdrawn mothers. These findings suggested that cognitive focusing ameliorates nonoptimal maternal behaviours and has differential effects on intrusive and withdrawn mothers.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1999 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)