Transmission of Mother-Infant Stress Communication (MIBLS)

Transmission of Discrimination-Related Stress Reactivity and Reduction From Mother to Infant

The central aim of this study is to assess mother-infant communication via behavioral, physiological, and affective indices under conditions where distal stressors may not be directly detectable by the infant.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stress

Detailed Description

This investigation examines a distal maternal stressor on the quality of interaction in mother-infant dyadic communication. Assessments include behavioral, physiological, and affective indices under conditions where distal stressors may not be directly detectable by the infant. The present research examines mother-infant interactions to test the hypothesis of whether maternal stress may be transduced to their infants via multiple pathways. The secondary aim is to explore effective emotion regulation strategies for the mother as potential buffers to stress and additionally reducing early life stress effects on the infant's regulatory development.

While the emotion regulation literature posits that reappraisal may be associated with decreased in physiological and psychological stress, this type of regulation strategy may be ineffective when interfacing with discrimination. The regulation strategy needs to be titrated to the stressor in order to be effective. These findings will have notable social, clinical, and psychological significance,

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 56

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02125
      • University of Mass. Boston
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02125
      • University of Massachusetts, Boston, Child Development Unit

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 38 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Community sample of women (ages 18-40) with infants ages 4-9 months

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy volunteers

Exclusion Criteria:

• No presence of heart murmur or wear a pacemaker
• No medication for hypertensive or cardiovascular disease
• Not using beta blockers

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Salivary Cortisol	Salivary cortisol is a measure that indicates hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. The study obtains 4 assessments with 20 minutes between each assessment. Participants chew on a cotton role for 2-minutes which is placed in a cortisol salivette tube (Sarstedt)	One lab appointment for approximately 80 minutes.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Salivary Amylase	Salivary amylase is an indicator of sympathetic nervous system activity. The same salivary salivette is used to later extract the amylase.	One lab appointment for approximately 80 minutes.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mother-infant observations	At four assessment occasions during the one time visit, the mother and infant are observed for a free 2-minute period. Observations include global affect, and (present or not) vocalizations, infant fussiness, and motor activity.	One lab appointment for approximately 80 minutes.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Boston
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kymberlee O'Brien, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Study Director: Celia L Moore, PhD, Director of DSRC and Horizon Center; Study Director: Edward Tronick, PhD, Director Child Development Unit

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 14, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): July 14, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 11, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 11, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): December 17, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 18, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 17, 2018
• Last Verified: October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stress; psychophysiology; emotion regulation; mother-infant dyadic regulation
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2013173