Birth Timing and the Mother-infant Relationship Predict Variation in Infant Behavior and Physiology

Overview

Journal Dev Psychobiol

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2012 Aug 14

PMID 22886319

Citations 4

Authors

Jessica J Vandeleest

Sally P Mendoza

John P Capitanio

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The current study explored whether birth timing, known to influence the mother-infant relationship, also affected infant physiology up to 9 months later and infant behavior at weaning. Infant blood samples were collected at 5.75 and 8.75 months of age to assess functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as well as the antibody response to a Cholera vaccination. Path analysis indicated infants born late in the birth season had less Relaxed relationships with their mothers. A less-Relaxed relationship was associated with greater infant Positive Engagement and Distress, which were negatively correlated, suggesting infants may have different strategies of coping with this type of relationship. Low Relaxed scores were also associated with higher infant cortisol concentrations at 5.75 months, which was associated with a reduced immune response to a vaccination 3 months later. Together these results indicate that the influence of birth timing on the mother-infant relationship may have consequences for infant development.

Citing Articles

Social stability influences the association between adrenal responsiveness and hair cortisol concentrations in rhesus macaques.

Vandeleest J, Capitanio J, Hamel A, Meyer J, Novak M, Mendoza S Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2018; 100:164-171.

PMID: 30342315 PMC: 6333515. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.008.

Connections Matter: Social Networks and Lifespan Health in Primate Translational Models.

McCowan B, Beisner B, Bliss-Moreau E, Vandeleest J, Jin J, Hannibal D Front Psychol. 2016; 7:433.

PMID: 27148103 PMC: 4841009. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00433.

Fetal iron deficiency and genotype influence emotionality in infant rhesus monkeys.

Golub M, Hogrefe C J Nutr. 2015; 145(3):647-53.

PMID: 25733484 PMC: 4336538. DOI: 10.3945/jn.114.201798.

The effects of birth timing and ambient temperature on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in 3-4 month old rhesus monkeys.

Vandeleest J, Blozis S, Mendoza S, Capitanio J Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013; 38(11):2705-12.

PMID: 23876853 PMC: 3812365. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.06.029.

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