title: Emotional relationships between mothers and infants: knowns, unknowns, and unknown unknowns.
abstract: An overview of the literature pertaining to the construct of emotional availability is presented, illustrated by a sampling of relevant studies. Methodological, statistical, and conceptual problems in the existing corpus of research are discussed, and suggestions for improving future investigations of this important construct are offered.
authors.affiliation: Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Suite 8030, 6705 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-7971, USA. marc_h_bornstein@nih.gov
authors.forename: Marc H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bornstein
authors.forename: Joan T D
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Suwalsky
authors.forename: Dana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Breakstone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009769:Object Attachment