Intended Sensitive and Harsh Caregiving Response to Infant Crying: The Role of Cry Pitch and Perceived Urgency in an Adult Twin Sample

• NCJ Number: 234006
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 34 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2010 Pages: 863-873
• Author(s): Dorothee Out; Suzanne Pieper; Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg; Philip Sanford Zeskind; Marinus H. van Ijzendoorn
• Date Published: November 2010
• Length: 11 pages
• Grant Number(s): 452-04-306
• Sponsoring Agency: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

A sample of 184 adult twin pairs (18-69 years old), including males and females, as well as parents and nonparents, were participants in a study that investigated the role of an infant's cry pitch and resulting perceived urgency of caregivers in determining whether the response to the infant was sensitive or harsh.

Abstract

The study found that individual differences in the perceived urgency of infant crying and intended sensitive caregiving responses were explained by genetic factors. Several studies have shown that specific brain structures, neurotransmitters, and peptide hormones are involved in the perception of infant crying and parental arousal to infant crying. While listening to their own infants' cries, mothers were shown to display specific cardiac responses that are associated with preparation for action or intervention. On the other hand, the variance in harsh caregiving in response the infant crying was due to shared (31 percent) and unique (69 percent) environmental influences. Regarding intended sensitive response to an infant's crying, participants were more likely to indicate immediate and affectionate caregiving responses to high-pitched cries and to cries that were perceived as more urgent; adults who perceived the 500 and 900 Hz cry sounds as more urgent indicated that they were more likely to display sensitive responses. Consistent with the hypothesis that high-pitched crying is a proximal cause of abuse, the current study shows that cry sounds with a higher pitch also elicit more intended harsh caregiving responses. Chronic and severely abnormal crying as indicative of severe illness may increase the risk for abuse and neglect in the presence of other risk factors related to the parent, family, and community. Interventions should promote parental sensitive responses to distress crying of infants so as to prevent harsh parenting of at-risk infants who manifest such crying. 4 tables and 67 references