Postnatal Maternal Sensitivity, Stimulation, and Positive Feelings Towards Newborn Predict Parenting Outcomes at 4 and 12 Months

Background and Purpose:  Although strong theoretical claims have been made about the importance of parenting during the newborn period, very little is known about the nature of maternal behaviors and feelings during the baby’s first days of life and whether these earliest interactions are related to later parenting outcomes known to be important for positive child development. The objective of this study was to examine whether there is continuity in various parenting dimensions, including maternal sensitivity, stimulation, and positive feelings, from the newborn period to 4 and 12 months postpartum.  This study focused on young, vulnerable mothers who often face challenges in parenting and are frequently the recipients of perinatal social support services.

Methods:  Young, low income, African American mothers (M=18.3 years old, SD=1.7) were recruited from the prenatal clinics of an urban teaching hospital to participate in a longitudinal study of pregnancy and parenting.  In the hospital following the birth, and at 4 and 12 months postpartum, mothers (n=153) were interviewed and videotaped interacting with their infants.  Two observers coded videos for maternal sensitivity and maternal stimulation using the Parent-Child Observation Guide (PCOG).  Semi-structured interview transcripts were coded for maternal positive feelings about her infant by three coders.  Inter-rater reliability exceeded .80 at all three waves for the PCOG scales, and .75 for the interview transcripts.  Additionally, at 4 and 12 months, mothers completed the Parenting Stress Inventory (PSI), a well-validated scale used to assess maternal perceptions of difficult interactions.  Multivariate multiple regression was used to examine associations between measures of newborn parenting and parenting outcomes at 4 and 12 months postpartum.

Results:  After controlling for several maternal variables measured during pregnancy, including age, depression, relationship with the baby’s father, childrearing attitudes, and comfort in close relationships, regression analyses showed that parenting behaviors and feelings immediately following the birth predicted parenting outcomes at 4 and 12 months postpartum. Specifically, maternal sensitivity at birth was related to maternal stimulation at 12 months postpartum (β=.25, p<.01)   Maternal stimulation at birth was associated with maternal stimulation at 4 months (β=.22, p<.01) and 12 months (β=.21, p<.05), and was also related to 4-month positive feelings about her infant (β=.20, p<.05).  Finally, mother’s positive feelings about her newborn was related to maternal sensitivity at 4 months (β=.29, p<.01).  Measures of parenting during the newborn period were not associated with parenting stress at 4 and 12 months after accounting for prenatal maternal variables.

Conclusions and Implications:  This study contributes to knowledge about the importance of maternal behaviors and feelings during the newborn period by demonstrating that maternal sensitivity, stimulation, and positive feelings towards her newborn predict parenting outcomes at 4 and 12 months even when accounting for maternal psychosocial characteristics. These findings provide preliminary evidence for aspects of early parenting that should be emphasized in the guidance of young, vulnerable mothers receiving perinatal social support services. Specifically, brief evidence-based interventions need to be developed that can be used by perinatal social workers to promote positive maternal behaviors and feelings during initial mother-newborn interactions.