Biomedical subjects

Ursula Pauli-Pott

Publications and source records attributed to Ursula Pauli-Pott.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

[Comparing assessment methods of infant emotionality].

OBJECTIVES: The concept of infant emotionality (temperament) is frequently used in the fields of developmental psychopathology, developmental psychology, and child and adolescent psychiatry. However, a valid assessment of the construct has to deal with some difficulties. Parent reports and behaviour observations of the interaction between caregiver and infant may be biased by parental characteristics, while laboratory assessment procedures often have not been sufficiently validated. METHODS: In the present study, three dimensions of temperament were assessed at three ages during the first year of life using three different measurement approaches. Convergent validity, discriminant validity and the associations of the temperament measures with maternal characteristics, i.e. depression, anxiety and educational status were analyzed. The study group consisted of 101 healthy first-born infants and their primary caregivers. At the ages of 4, 8 and 12 months, positive emotionality, negative emotionality and withdrawal/anxiety were assessed by means of a parent questionnaire, naturalistic behavioural observations of the caregiver-infant interaction, and by means of laboratory routines. RESULTS: Aside from just two exceptions, there were significant convergent correlations between the different measures at each age. Particularly the laboratory routines revealed a good degree of discriminant validity. Questionnaire scores often correlated with the mothers' characteristics. These correlations were independent of the associations with the observational data. CONCLUSIONS: Therewith, parent reports include an objective as well as a subjective component.

Emotions↗

PubMed2004

[Mother-infant interaction and adrenocortical reactivity in infancy].

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal reactivity/sensitivity when interacting with her child and the adrenocortical reactivity of the child in a distressing situation. Based on former results reported in the literature a negative relationship was hypothesized. 20 mother-child-dyads were examined when babies were four and 23 dyads when babies were eight months old. At each age data were collected in two settings (laboratory and at home). In both settings the interaction between mother and child was observed. Additionally the adrenocortical reactivity of the baby was examined in a separate situation of induced stress. At the age of four months the expected negative relationship between maternal reactivity/sensitivity and the adrenocortical response was found to be significant. When babies were eight months this relationship was much weaker and not statistically significant. The present results are in congruence with formerly reported data from the literature.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed2004

Predicting the development of infant emotionality from maternal characteristics.

Few studies have examined the associations between environmental conditions and developing infant emotionality or the differential susceptibility to those conditions. The present longitudinal study aims to make a contribution to close that gap. We analyzed whether positive emotionality, negative emotionality/irritability, and withdrawal/fear at the end of the first year of life are predictable from preceding caregiver's depression/anxiety, social support, and sensitivity in the interaction with the infant while controlling for antecedent states of emotionality. Furthermore, the question of whether associations between maternal characteristics and subsequent fear are stronger in the subgroup of infants high in irritability as opposed to those who are low in irritability was investigated. Subjects were 101 healthy firstborn infants and their primary caregivers. Assessments were conducted at infant ages of 4, 8, and 12 months. Depression, anxiety, and the social support of the caregiver were assessed by questionnaire. Sensitivity in the caregiver-infant interaction was assessed by behavior observations within the scope of home visits. Temperament characteristics were observed in standardized laboratory episodes. Whereas negative emotionality and withdrawal/fear were significantly predictable from the maternal characteristics, no predictability could be shown for developing positive emotionality. There were indications of a stronger association between the maternal characteristics and developing withdrawal/fear in irritable infants.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Sleeping problems and attachment quality in toddlers].

The study presented addresses the association between 18-months-olds' attachment quality and subsequent sleeping problems at 30 months. The sample consisted in 62 healthy, firstborn children and their primary caregivers. Attachment quality was assessed using Ainsworths' Strange Situation Procedure. Sleeping disorders were diagnosed conducting a standardized psychiatric interview with the mothers. Securely attached toddlers showed sleeping problems more often than insecurely-avoidant attached ones. Attachment disorganization was not related to sleeping problems. Analyzing the impact of self-stimulation behavior (i.e. thumb or pacifier sucking) it could be demonstrated that all 30-months-olds who showed self-stimulating behavior were insecurely-avoidant attached to their primary caregiver. Thus, insecure-avoidant toddlers might incline to suppress attachment behavior and negative emotions when being separated from parent in the evening and night hours.

Adult↗