REGULATORY BEHAVIOR
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Infant regulatory behaviour problems during the first month of life and neurobehavioral outcomes in early childhood.
Introduction
Behaviour regulation refers to our ability to handle our energy, emotions, attention and behaviour in ways that are publically acceptable and help us achieve our goals. The infant regulatory behaviour problems are noticeable during the first year of life. They are defined as excessive crying, sleeping and feeding problems, as well as difficulties in self-soothing and mood regulation. The Infant regulatory behaviour is a feature of sensory processing disorders and problems of feeding, sleeping and excessive crying. This paper summarizes the article written in response to the research conducted which aimed at; testing if infant regulatory behaviour problems as evaluated by the mother during the infant’s first 30 days of life are associated with the child’s temperament characteristics at an average age of 6.5 months. And the child’s developmental milestones and psychiatric behaviour problems at an average age of 3.5 years as rated by the child’s mother and also test the associations between infant’s regulatory issues and temperament characteristics at the child’s average period of 6.5 months as measured by the child’s father. They also extended the research to examine the interplay between maternal depressive symptoms and the child neurobehavioral outcomes. Also, They tested the role of paternal depression in the analyses of father-rated child temperament.
Based on previous research the hypothesis of the study was; regulatory behaviour problems in infancy would be associated with higher scores on infant temperament trait negative affectivity and lower scores on temperament traits extraversion and regulation in infancy and lower scores on age-appropriate developmental milestones and more behavioural severe problems later in childhood. Another hypothesis was that maternal depressive symptoms would be associated with more severe infant regulatory behaviour problems and with higher scores on infant negative affectivity and lower scores on regulation, and lower developmental milestones scores and more significant behavioural problems later in childhood.
To achieve these aims, the team used a cohort comprised of 4777 women that came from the Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction (PREDO) study in Southern and Eastern Finland. Study methods used include; the Neonatal Perception Inventory (NPI) used by the mothers to rate the Infant regulatory behaviours, use of Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) which was filled by both mother and fathers, The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) which screens children requiring further developmental assessment, monitoring or special education. Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1½–5 (CBCL/1½–5) filled in by the child’s mother to measure scores for three essential scales (Internalizing, Externalizing and Total Problems), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-4th Edition (DSMIV) used to measure scales (affective, anxiety, pervasive developmental, attention hyperactivity, and oppositional defiant problems), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) which was completed by the mothers and fathers at the time of rating the infant’s regulatory behaviour problems, and lastly the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) completed by mothers at the time of assessing the child developmental milestones and behavioural issues. For data analyses, they used soft wares such as the IBM SPSS Amos software version 24.0 and the R program to study the interplay amid maternal and paternal depressive symptoms, infant regulatory behaviour problems and child neurobehavioral outcomes.
Behavioural endocrinology is the scientific study of the interaction between hormones and behaviour. Hormones control behaviours such as aggression, mating, and parenting of individuals; thus, Inequalities in hormones relates to several disorders (Lumenlearning.Com| Introduction to Psychology, n.d.). Jones & Sloan (2018) states that Infant neurohormones associated with temperament include cortisol and oxytocin. Also, they indicate that more than fifteen different hormones could be involved with fetal and infant developmental patterns, as well as hormones that have to do with birthing, breastfeeding, maternal psychological conditions and other neuroendocrine and neurophysiological processes occurring during gestation and infant development.
After the study was concluded, the team had several findings which include; regulatory behaviour problems perceived by the mother in her less than 1-month old infant predicted more difficult, temperamental traits when the infant was aged 6.5 months, and higher levels of behavioural problems and lower scores on developmental milestones when the child was aged 3.5 years, secondly during the first 30 days of life, second, the maternal perceptions of infant regulatory behaviour problems have predictive validity for offspring’s later neurobehavioral outcomes, third is that regulatory behaviour problems not only predicted child’s mother-rated negative affectivity temperament but also predicted father rated negative affectivity temperament. Fourth is that higher levels of regulatory behaviour problems to an infant were associated with higher levels of infant negative affectivity temperament in both maternal and paternal ratings. Lower levels of regulation temperament in maternal ratings and lastly the perceptions of bigger regulatory behaviour problems to the infant were associated with higher levels of child Externalizing, and Total behavioural problems and lower problem-solving skills in the developmental milestones measure in maternal ratings.
These findings propose that already during the first 30 days of life, maternal perceptions of infant regulatory behaviour problems have predictive validity for offspring’s later neurobehavioral outcomes however they not only support problems that are more obstinate and still developing after the typical infantile 3-month colic period but also for those problems that occur earlier. Also, Infant, regulatory behaviour problems did not contribute to increasing maternal depressive symptoms.
Based on the results and findings presented it is important to identify women suffering from depressive symptoms as early as possible to ensure the well-being of the mother and also the well-being of the child thus may lessen the danger for approaching neurobehavioral difficulties. Using the NPI may allow timely identification of children at threat for neurobehavioral difficulties. Also, identification and treatment of maternal depression during the first postpartum months may contribute to averting long-term hostile consequences in young infants. In relevance to the field of psychology Regulatory behaviours are of great importance as infants with regulatory disorders have both temperamental and physiological regulation problems, thus may be in a physiological state that makes it problematic to moderate behaviour in response to common demands.
References
Jones, N. A., & Sloan, A. (2018). Neurohormones and temperament interact during infant development. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1744), 20170159. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0159
The Endocrine System | Introduction to Psychology. (n.d.). Courses.Lumenlearning.Com. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/waymaker-psychology/chapter/the-endocrine-system/