Renato Borgatti

Social stress regulation in 4-month-old infants: Contribution of maternal social engagement and infants' 5-HTTLPR genotype

BACKGROUNDnMaternal behavior and infant 5-HTTLPR polymorphism have been linked to infants social stress reactivity and recovery at different ages. Nonetheless, Gene×Environment (G×E) studies focusing on early infancy are rare and have led to mixed results.nnnAIMnTo investigate the contribution of maternal social engagement and infants 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in predicting infants negative emotionality in response to a social stressor, namely maternal unresponsiveness.nnnSTUDY DESIGNnCross-sectional, G×E study.nnnSUBJECTSn73 4-month-old infants and their mothers took part to the Face-to-Face Still-Face (FFSF) procedure.nnnOUTCOME MEASURESnA micro-analytical coding of negative emotionality was adopted to measure infants reactivity to social stress (Still-Face episode) and infants recovery after social stress (Reunion episode). Maternal contribution was measured as maternal social engagement during the Play episode. Infants were genotyped as S-carriers or L-homozygotes.nnnRESULTSnThe interplay between maternal social engagement and infants genotype was found to be predictive of infants negative emotionality during both Still-Face and Reunion episodes of the FFSF paradigm. The interaction highlighted that maternal social engagement predicted minor negative emotionality during Still-Face and Reunion episodes for S-carrier infants, but not for L-homozygotes.nnnCONCLUSIONSnFindings extend previous results on adults and children, highlighting that maternal behavior might be a protective factor for stress reactivity and regulation, especially for S-carrier infants who are at risk for heightened stress susceptibility.

The Role of Negative Maternal Affective States and Infant Temperament in Early Interactions Between Infants With Cleft Lip and Their Mothers

OBJECTIVESnThe study examined the early interaction between mothers and their infants with cleft lip, assessing the role of maternal affective state and expressiveness and differences in infant temperament.nnnMETHODSnMother-infant interactions were assessed in 25 2-month-old infants with cleft lip and 25 age-matched healthy infants. Self-report and behavioral observations were used to assess maternal depressive symptoms and expressions. Mothers rated infant temperament.nnnRESULTSnInfants with cleft lip were less engaged and their mothers showed more difficulty in interaction than control group dyads. Mothers of infants with cleft lip displayed more negative affectivity, but did not report more self-rated depressive symptoms than control group mothers. No group differences were found in infant temperament.nnnCONCLUSIONSnIn order to support the mothers experience and facilitate her ongoing parental role, findings highlight the importance of identifying maternal negative affectivity during early interactions, even when they seem have little awareness of their depressive symptoms.

Modalità interattive nella relazione precoce tra madre e bambino affetto da labio-palato-schisi. Studio osservativo su un campione italiano

I bambini affetti da labio-palato-schisi (LPS) possono presentare difficolta nell’interazione socio-emozionale con la madre. L’obiettivo dello studio e analizzare la qualita degli scambi affettivi in una fase precoce dello sviluppo. Hanno preso parte alla ricerca due gruppi (clinico e di controllo) composti entrambi da 16 diadi madre-bambino. Un’interazione di cinque minuti viso-a-viso e stata vi- deo-registrata quando il bambino aveva 2 mesi di vita. I comportamenti e lo stile interattivo della madre e del bambino sono stati codificati mediante il sistema GRS - Global Rating Scales [29]. E stato inoltre somministrato il questionario BDI - Beck Depression Inventory - compilato dalle madri per valutare la sintomatologia depressiva. I risultati evidenziano che rispetto ai bambini del gruppo di controllo i bambini con LPS manifestano una ridotta partecipazione allo scambio relazionale con la madre. Le madri del gruppo clinico appaiono meno sensibili rispetto alle madri del gruppo di controllo. Tra i due gruppi di madri non emergono differenze ai punteggi ottenuti al questionario sulla sintomatologia depressiva. Tuttavia, nel corso dell’interazione con il loro bambino le madri del gruppo clinico manifestavano segni di natura depressiva. Globalmente le interazioni madrebambino affetto da LPS risultano meno fluide e con un minor numero di scambi comunicativi positivi. In conclusione, la presenza di LPS nel bambino interferisce in modo rilevante sulla qualita dell’interazione precoce madre-bambino. Questi risultati suggeriscono l’importanza di pianificare interventi precoci indirizzati a facilitare la relazione tra la madre e il bambino affetto da LPS.