Caregiving and early infant crying in a danish community.
Maternal caregiving and fussing/crying in Danish infants at 3, 6, and 12 weeks were examined using self-report scales and 24-hour behavior diaries. Mothers reported practices commonly associated with responsive caregiving: frequent feeding, prompt response to infant cries, and considerable time holding the infant. Fuss/cry durations peaked in the first 2 months, were highest in evenings, and decreased approximately 50% by 12 weeks. Fussing was the majority behavior, and 9.2% of the infants fussed and cried more than 3 hours per day. In contrast with other Western studies, 24-hour fuss/cry durations were lower, and fussing accounted for up to 80% of total distress. Danish caregiving practices may partially explain the lower durations of infant distress and the lower ratio of cry to fuss. However, some infants fuss/cry a great deal despite sensitive care, which may reflect individual differences in infant maturation of behavior regulation.
Alvarez
Marissa
M
University of Copenhagen, Department of Psychology, Copenhagen, Denmark. Marissa.Alvarez@psy.ku.dk
D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003448:Crying / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires