Parental Sensitivity and Infant Social Withdrawal During Mother–Infant and Father–Infant Interactions

Bibliographic Data

ID16782822
AuthorsHervé Tissot (0000-0003-2821-189X, University of Geneva, corresponding author), Antoine Guédeney (0000-0002-2346-4495, Université Paris Cité), Valentin Gonthier (University of Geneva), Maëlla Hugonnier (University of Geneva), Nicolas Favez (0000-0003-1744-7602, University of Geneva)
Year2025
Volume30
Issue1
Pagese12643-e12643
Publication date2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInfancy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1525-0008 • E-ISSN: 1532-7078
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/infa.12643
PMID39632375
OpenAlexW4405088130
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited24

While social withdrawal is a normal defense mechanism displayed by infants to regulate interactions, it can negatively impact infant development when it becomes chronic, leading to delays in motor, cognitive, and communication difficulties in later development. Infant withdrawal was associated with low levels of parental sensitivity (i.e., the capacity of a caregiver to perceive the child signals and to respond to them accurately with an appropriate timing during interactions) in mothers. Few studies have yet been conducted in fathers and even fewer have investigated these questions in both parent–infant dyads within families, so that the joint effects of maternal and paternal sensitivity on infant social withdrawal remain unknown. We investigated within‐ and between‐dyad associations between parental sensitivity and infant withdrawal during interactions with both parents in a sample of biparental families ( n = 61) and their 3‐month old infant. Results showed that higher paternal sensitivity was associated with lower infant withdrawal during father–infant interactions. The same effect was weaker in mothers and only significant when the effect of paternal sensitivity on infant withdrawal during mother–infant interaction was not taken into account. These results offer new insights about the reciprocal influences between the mother–infant and the father–infant relationships

Developmental psychology · Dyad · Infant development · Joint attention · Maternal sensitivity · Social relation · Social withdrawal · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Psychology · Social Psychology