Biomaterial Database

Mother-infant relationship in the first year of life. 1988

L Lier

Institute of General Practice, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The development of interactive patterns in the first year of life has been studied in healthy mother--baby pairs and in infants whose mothers have psychiatric or psycho-social problems which interfere with their contact with the child. During the first 2-3 months a relationship develops in healthy mother--baby pairs characterized by an intimate interchange of signals and responses between mother and infant. The baby's inborn capacity of imitation and regulation of visual/auditive stimulation gradually is patterned and supported by the mother's empathetic response. 2-3 months old the baby has developed a basic pattern of social relating. This development is not seen if the mother cannot adapt to and support the baby's signals. In cases with simple social privation the baby seems not to "know" how to use social contact. In cases with active failure in the mother's response a pattern of emotional withdrawal develops where the baby avoids eye contact, does not engage in vocal dialogue and is easily upset when offered social contact. During the next months motor development enables the baby to reach out for things in the outer world: rattles, mother's face, own feet etc. A beginning sense of self and not-self develops. The baby expects the mother to guess and fulfil it's wishes and still the mother adapts to and supports the baby's expanding capacities and needs. In contrast the baby with a non-adapting mother may, or may not show a normal interest in reaching out for inanimate things. But the social withdrawal hinders the infant in reaching out for the mother's face and body. A limited interest in handling, mouthing and examining objects is often seen, lending the baby's activities an avital and stereotype quality. The baby does not expect the mother to guess and fulfil it's wishes. It's experience with self and not-self is narrowed and deprived of the rich and varied social interaction of the healthy mother--baby pairs. At 10-12 months the infants are able to move around trying to handle and examine everything within their range. At this age healthy infants are able to sense that there exist other wills and minds than their own. The mother can encourage or stop the child by verbal and body signals. The child may compromise or protest and you will sense it's personality.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D007398	Interpersonal Relations	The reciprocal interaction of two or more persons.	Social Relationships,Husband-Wife Communication,Partner Communication,Communication, Husband-Wife,Communication, Partner,Husband Wife Communication,Husband-Wife Communications,Interpersonal Relation,Partner Communications,Relation, Interpersonal,Relationship, Social,Social Relationship
D008297	Male		Males
D009034	Mother-Child Relations	Interaction between a mother and child.	Mother-Child Interaction,Mother-Child Relationship,Mother-Infant Interaction,Mother-Infant Relations,Interaction, Mother-Child,Interaction, Mother-Infant,Interactions, Mother-Child,Interactions, Mother-Infant,Mother Child Interaction,Mother Child Relations,Mother Child Relationship,Mother Infant Interaction,Mother Infant Relations,Mother-Child Interactions,Mother-Child Relation,Mother-Child Relationships,Mother-Infant Interactions,Mother-Infant Relation,Relation, Mother-Child,Relation, Mother-Infant,Relations, Mother-Child,Relations, Mother-Infant,Relationship, Mother-Child,Relationships, Mother-Child
D002670	Child, Abandoned	A child or adolescent who is deserted by parents or parent substitutes without regard for its future care.	Adolescent, Abandoned,Children, Abandoned,Abandoned Adolescent,Abandoned Adolescents,Abandoned Child,Abandoned Children,Adolescents, Abandoned
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000223	Adaptation, Psychological	A state of harmony between internal needs and external demands and the processes used in achieving this condition. (From APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed).	Behavior, Adaptive,Healthy Adaptation,Positive Adaptation,Psychological Recovery,Adaptation, Psychologic,Adjustment,Psychological Adaptation,Adaptation, Healthy,Adaptation, Positive,Adaptive Behavior,Adaptive Behaviors,Healthy Adaptations,Positive Adaptations,Psychologic Adaptation,Psychological Recoveries,Recovery, Psychological