PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Maternal Behavior”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Teaching styles of mothers and the match-to-sample performance of their retarded preschool-age- children.

Twenty-one mothers and their preschool-age retarded children were observed during three structured teaching sessions. Each session was rated for various forms of maternal preresponse and postresponse activity as well as performance of the children. The results indicated that the most frequent forms of maternal behavior were preresponse verbal directions and instructions; however, the best predictor of children's correct performance was postresponse positive feedback. Patterns of intercorrelations among maternal measures were generally consistent with those reported by Hess and Shipman (1965). The hypothesis was advanced that maternal postresponse feedback may occur as the result of correct responding which, in turn, is more directly affected by other aspects of teaching style.

Achievement↗
PubMed2005

Opportunistic mothers: female marmosets (Callithrix kuhlii) reduce their investment in offspring when they have to, and when they can.

All female primates incur energetic costs associated with producing and caring for offspring, but females belonging to the New World primate family Callitrichidae, the marmosets and tamarins, appear to face even further demands. In fact, the energetic demands of rearing callitrichid infants are thought to have led to the evolution of cooperative infant care in these species. If this explanation is true, then one might expect that natural selection should also have shaped patterns of maternal behavior to be sensitive to the costs of reproduction and equipped females to reduce their investment in offspring under certain conditions. Therefore, we examined the maternal effort and postpartum endocrine profiles of individual female marmosets (Callithrix kuhlii) across conditions that represented two hallmarks of callitrichid reproduction-conception during the early postpartum period and alloparental assistance. When females conceived during the early postpartum period and faced the upcoming demands of caring for their newly conceived litters (Study 1), they significantly reduced their caregiving effort and had significantly higher postpartum levels of estradiol relative to breeding attempts in which conception occurred later in the postpartum period. Postpartum estradiol was negatively correlated with maternal carrying effort. When experienced alloparents were present (Study 2), females again reduced their caregiving effort relative to breeding attempts in which experienced alloparents were not present. Postpartum cortisol, however, did not vary as a function of experienced alloparental assistance. The results of these studies suggest that female marmosets have been subjected to similar selection pressures as females of other primate taxa--to maximize their reproductive success by reducing their investment in offspring under the worst and best of conditions--and suggest that hormones may mediate within-female variation in maternal care. These studies also provide support for the notion that mothers are "flexible opportunists" when it comes to providing care to their young.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Behavioral and emotional response of Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) mothers after their offspring receive an aggression.

The authors of this study investigated the behavioral and emotional response of female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) to an aggression received by their offspring to evaluate the existence of cognitive empathic responses in a naturalistic setting. After their offspring received an aggression, mothers did not direct increased affiliative contacts to them. The factors likely to affect the degree of distress in the offspring or the perceived risk for the mother failed to appropriately modulate maternal behavior. Finally, mothers did not increase their frequency of scratching (a behavioral indicator of anxiety) after their offspring had received an aggression. The results suggest Japanese macaque mothers may be unable to understand their offspring's need for distress alleviation after the receipt of aggression.

Aggression↗
PubMed1979

The effects of protein malnutrition on the behavior of rats during the suckling period.

Observations of 2 groups of dams and their litters were made every 3 hr around the clock on Days 1-20 postpartum. The dams fed either an 8% or a 25% casein diet for 5 weeks before mating and during gestation and lactation. Dams on the low protein diet spent more time in the nest actively nursing their young than did high protein dams, and they exhibited no deficits in other maternal behaviors. Five of 11 kinds of behavior developed more slowly in the undernourished pups than in the well-nourished ones, but the developmental delays were no longer than a few days. Circadian fluctuations were apparent in all of the pups' activities during the 3rd postnatal week as well as in grooming and horizontal movement, 2 behaviors that were present earlier, by 6-10 days of age.

Animal Population Groups↗
PubMed1989

Effect of a specific stress (aldrin) on rat progeny behavior.

The effect of dam exposure to aldrin, an organochlorinated compound (1.0 mg/kg, sc, daily), during pregnancy or lactation was studied in young rat pups (11, 15, 18 and 22 days of age) and in adult animals (90 days of age). Locomotor activity was significantly greater in both young and adult animals when compared to controls. Male rats that received aldrin during lactation also showed reduced plasma corticosterone levels. Maternal behavior was not affected by treatment during either period. The results suggest that aldrin may act as a perinatal stress factor.

Aldrin↗
PubMed1999

Changes in progressive ratio responding for intravenous cocaine throughout the reproductive process in female rats.

Operant responding on a progressive ratio (PR) schedule for intravenous cocaine as well as sucrose reinforcement was examined in female rats throughout the reproductive process. Self-administration sessions began before mating, and continued throughout pregnancy and until lactational Day 8; following parturition, litters were present with dams during operant sessions. Physiological changes associated with the reproductive process dramatically altered PR responding for cocaine, while PR responding for sucrose was relatively stable throughout pregnancy and lactation. Female animals exhibited the highest number of responses/session for cocaine during estrus and the 1st trimester of pregnancy and the lowest responding near parturition, with levels only partially recovering during lactation. Dams self-administering cocaine exhibited notably different patterns of maternal behavior in the operant chambers than dams responding for sucrose. Thus, cocaine's reinforcing efficacy may be influenced by (a) the changing physiological profile associated with the reproductive process and (b) competition from the reinforcing properties of offspring during lactation.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Evolution proposes and ontogeny disposes.

Genes, the basic building blocks of evolution, are highly conserved. For example, the mouse and human have approximately the same number of genes, and around 94% are identical in the two species. Since species differ on multiple dimensions (e.g., anatomy, physiology, and behavior), it follows that identical genes may subserve different functions in different species. Two reasons for this are gene-gene interaction and gene-environment interaction (and it is the presence of these interactions which prevents one from making deterministic statements about genetics, thus rendering obsolete the nature-nurture controversy). Behavioral examples of both types of interactions are presented, including studies showing that (1) the uterine environment enhances later cognitive competence, (2) early postnatal experiences affect learning and emotionality and can extend into future generations, (3) maternal behavior changes the offspring's later behavior and physiology, and (4) knocking out one gene results in an animal less competent in one learning process but more competent in a complementary learning process.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The play and language behavior of mothers with and without dyslexia and its association to their toddlers' language development.

The play and language behavior of mothers with (n = 49) and without (n = 49) specific reading disabilities (RD) was investigated during play with their 14-month-old children. The contribution of maternal behavior to the language development of their children was examined. The children's receptive and expressive language skills were assessed longitudinally at 14, 18, and 30 months, using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories and the Reynell Developmental Language Scales. Children with and without familial risk for RD did not differ from each other in any play or language measures at these ages. No group differences were found for mothers' manifestations of nonsymbolic play and language. However, the typically reading (TR) mothers produced significantly more symbolic play and language in play interactions with their child than did the mothers with RD. The correspondence between mother-child symbolic play and maternal play-related language was also higher for the TR group than it was for the RD group. The mothers' symbolic play did not show any relation to their children's language development, but their expressions of symbolic language did show a relationship. The mothers' child-directed symbolic language contributed significantly toward the comprehension skills of 14- and 18-month-olds in the RD group. This association, however, was lower at 30 months, at which point it was reliably present for the first time in the TR group.

Child Language↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Depressed adolescent mothers' perceptions of their own maternal role.

Although there is a growing body of research in the area of adolescent pregnancy and parenting, little is known about the more personal experiences of these teens. Ethnographic research methods were used in the present study with the goal of narrowing existing gaps in knowledge about the affective component of adolescent mothers' role attainment. The sample consisted of 15 voluntary informants who reported depressive symptoms during pregnancy or postpartum. The findings suggest that for some adolescent mothers the experience of motherhood may help them improve their previously self-destructive lives. Many adolescent mothers have engaged in impulsive high-risk activities prior to their pregnancies. Through the establishment of a maternal identity and simultaneous development of a strong sense of maternal protectiveness these young women are making realistic, future-oriented decisions that are motivating them to leave gang life, finish high school, go to college, and get vocational training. However, a subset of adolescent mothers who experience chronic depressive mood along with social isolation in the postpartum period may be at increased risk for development of problematic maternal behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The working mother in contemporary perspective: a review of the literature.

The purpose of this article is to provide a perspective on the dilemmas working mothers face due to the contradictory messages that emanate from both popular child-rearing books and clinical studies. A review of the working mothers' sections of popular child-rearing books, and an interdisciplinary review of research in the area of maternal employment over the last decade was conducted in order to assess current knowledge in the field. Both popular child-rearing books and books for the working mother tend to reflect the cultural norms of appropriate maternal behavior, but rarely include evidence from empirical research. Findings from a review of literature in medicine, psychology, sociology, and education are discussed in relation to effects of maternal employment on children and families. An understanding of recent research regarding maternal employment will enable the pediatrician to better respond to the needs of the working mothers and their families.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Thermoregulation and diurnal rhythms in 1-week-old rat pups.

This paper reviews the ontogeny of thermoregulation and diurnal rhythmicity in rats. Additionally, original data are presented that indicate the emergence of an endogenous circadian core temperature rhythm during the first postnatal week. Despite neurological immaturity, newborn rats display autonomic and behavioral thermoregulatory responses within 24 h of birth. Their "biological clock" is already running before birth. The thermal environment of pups changes cyclically owing to diurnal variations in maternal behavior, but the core temperatures of 1-week-old pups huddling in the absence of the dam also show marked diurnal fluctuations. Five- to 8-day-old lean Zucker rat pups artificially reared in the absence of 24-h cycles of ambient temperature and food intake show diurnal changes in core temperature similar to those in huddling mother-reared pups. Diurnal core temperature changes, evident only when regulatory effectors are not overwhelmed, are one of the first self-maintained diurnal rhythms to appear. Because thermoregulation and circadian rhythmicity both appear before maturation of the neural networks believed to be critical for their control in adult animals, studying the immature rat might increase our understanding of the control of these processes in the more complex mature central nervous system.

Aging↗
PubMed1975

Influence of dietary fat upon rats during gestation and lactation.

A comparison was made between rats fed purified rations containing different fats during gestation and lactation and rats fed a commercial ration during similar periods. The purified ration containign 20% cocoa butter did not result in appreciable differences in the mothers (body weight, behavior, litter production, and brain chemistry) or in the 1-day-old neonates (brain chemistry). The purified ration containing 20% safflower oil resulted in fewer completed gestation, in poorer maternal behavior during lactation, and in neonates with small brains. A fat-free purified ration resulted in low brain concentrations of RNA and low RNA-DNA ratios in the mothers.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Implications of multiple phenotypes observed in prolactin receptor knockout mice.

The development of a mouse line deficient in the PRL receptor (PRLR) would be an ideal means to better understand the multiple functions of prolactin. We were worried initially that removal of the PRLR from the mouse genome might be lethal and were surprised to find this not to be the case. We identified numerous deficiencies in PRLR knockout (KO) animals. Female homozygous mice are completely infertile and lack normal mammary development, while hemizygotes are unable to lactate following their first pregnancy. PRLR KO males and females have markedly elevated (30- to 100-fold) serum prolactin levels and in some instances pituitary hyperplasia is present. Maternal behavior is severely affected in both hemizygous and heterozygous animals. Bone formation is reduced in young animals and adults (males and females). Recently, we noticed that older KO animals show a slight reduction in body weight which appears to be due to reduced abdominal fat deposition.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Maternal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the infant rat: the roles of feeding and stroking.

Twenty-four hours of maternal separation results in increased secretion of ACTH and corticosterone (CORT), suggesting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is regulated by some aspect of maternal behavior. Previous results indicate that feeding plays a role in maintaining low levels of CORT in 12-day-old pups. In Experiment 1 basal and stress levels of CORT and ACTH were measured in maternally-deprived pups either provided or not with milk to determine whether: (1) feeding maintains ACTH secretion at low levels, and/or (2) feeding maintains the adrenal insensitive to ACTH. The results showed that, although ACTH levels were markedly low (compared to previous values reported by this laboratory) for both groups, only non-fed pups showed a robust increase in basal and stress CORT levels. During the deprivation period in Experiment 1, all pups were manually stroked to induce urination and defecation, suggesting an effect of stroking on ACTH secretion. Experiment 2 examined this hypothesis. Stroking suppressed stress-induced elevations of ACTH secretion due to maternal deprivation. CORT levels, however, were elevated in all deprived pups. The results indicate that maternal regulation of the infant's HPA axis occurs at multiple levels. Feeding appears to regulate adrenal sensitivity, whereas anogenital stroking inhibits the activation of centrally-controlled components of the axis.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1997

Prior cocaine exposure in different environments affects the behavioral responses of mouse dams.

The present study evaluated the behavioral repertoire of lactating CD-1 mouse dams when tested in an environment associated with cocaine in the premating period. Virgin females were randomly assigned for conditioning (8-day long schedule with four cocaine or saline injections administered every other day) to three experimental groups: i) Coc-Test females received one injection of cocaine (5 or 20 mg/kg IP) in the testing chamber and saline 24 h later in the home cage, ii) Coc-Home females received one injection of the same doses of cocaine in the home cage and saline 24 h later in the testing chamber, and iii) Sal-Sal control females received one saline injection in both environments. All females underwent a 25-day long wash out period during which they were mated. Their behavior was subsequently scored in the testing chamber on postpartum day 2 (drug-free state) in the presence of 3 pups from their own litter (single 15-min session). As a whole, Coc-Test dams appeared to be more involved in pup-directed activities such as pup-nosing and nest-building when compared with the Coc-Home group. In addition, non-pup directed behaviors, such as crossing, self-grooming, and rearing were higher in Coc-Test group than in other groups. The opposite was true for stereotyped gnawing activity. A measure of females' body weight gain revealed that Coc-Test 20 group was significantly higher than other groups particularly during the postpartum phase. On postpartum day 6, lactating dams were injected with the low cocaine dose (5mg/kg) and their response to a male intruder was assessed in the testing chamber (single 5-min session). A higher number of Coc-Test 5 dams showed the on nest and the upright offensive postures compared to the corresponding Coc-Home 5 group, whereas a significant higher number of Sal-Sal females showed the on top posture with respect to the Coc-Test 20 group. Oxytocin levels measured after the behavioral test showed a tendency, even if not significant, to be higher in the hypothalamus of Coc-Test dams. As a whole, the present results suggest that the alterations in maternal behavior here observed as well as the trend underlined by oxytocin values, cannot be ascribed to carry-over effects of cocaine administration in the pre-mating phase per se; rather, they seem to represent a conditioned response to the distinct environment previously associated with the drug experience.

Aggression↗
PubMed1988

Maternal social networks and mother-infant interactions in full-term and very low birthweight, preterm infants.

The relation between maternal social networks and mother-infant interactions at 6 months of age was examined in 34 mother-preterm and 20 mother-full-term dyads. All preterm infants were of very low birthweight and experienced medical complications. Mothers were interviewed regarding their social networks; ratings of maternal behaviors were derived from videotaped mother-infant interactions. There were few between-group differences in mean levels of network variables; however, the association between network structure and maternal sensitivity differed in the 2 groups. A larger number of ties between the mother's family of origin and the mother's friends related to higher maternal sensitivity in full-terms but to lower maternal sensitivity in preterms. The birth of a full-term infant is typically a positive event around which a tightly knit network can coalesce to support the mother. It is less clear that the birth of a preterm infant is a positive event, leaving network members unsure of their roles and how to respond. Under the latter circumstances, fewer ties among network members may decrease the likelihood of ambiguous or stressful communications.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Childcare patterns of mothers of twins during the first year.

This study aims to describe the ways in which mothers of twins organize their childcare activities during the first year after a twin birth and to determine what factors might affect these mothering practices. The mother's physical and psychological state, support and help from the father and others in the surroundings, and the type of twinship were among the factors studied. Data on the organization of feeding, sleeping and waking routines were gathered from 51 families. A correspondence analysis and a cluster analysis showed that twin mothering practices can be described along two dimensions: individualized care vs collective care, and level of organization of daily routines. The mother's state of fatigue only partially accounts for the different types of maternal behavior. Likewise, the presence of several caregivers does not lead to greater individualization in care routines. Nor does there seem to be a clear link between the type of maternal behaviour and the type of twinship. The discussion deals with the mother's emotional investment, her personal capacity for adjusting to the "triadic motherhood' process, and the nature of the father's involvement in that process. Another consideration is the impact of the type of childcare pattern on twin development.

Child Care↗