Developmental Origins of Infant Emotion Regulation: Mediating and Moderating Effects of Infant Temperament and Maternal Sensitivity

Abstract

The current study examined perinatal factors that impact infant emotion regulation (ER) development. Prenatal depression, generalized anxiety, pregnancy-specific anxiety (PSA), and diurnal cortisol levels were assessed in 256 pregnant women in early and late pregnancy. Infant temperamental negativity was assessed at 3 months, and observational measures of infant ER during frustration and maternal sensitivity were assessed at 6 months. Results revealed that PSA had a positive direct effect on infant ER, which potentially indicated emotional over-regulation in these infants. PSA also had a negative indirect effect on infant ER through increased temperamental negativity, which was dependent on levels of maternal sensitivity. Specifically, infants with high negativity demonstrated emotional under-regulation, but only when their mother displayed low levels of sensitivity. The study identified two pathways by which PSA may result in long-term changes in infant emotional development. Implications for future research and intervention planning are discussed.