Mother-infant interaction during the first year: effects of situation, maternal mental illness, and demographic factors

Home observations of mother-infant interaction were done for 2 hours on 2 consecutive days in a large group of families at 4 and 12 months of age. The observations were analyzed for situation (e.g. caretaking or close). as well as grouping factors of maternal mental illness. social status. sex of child. and birth order. Large main effects for situation were uniformly found for mother-interactive and child-interactive behaviors. Some main effects...