Maternal childbearing attitudes and self-definition as related to maternal perceptions of infant temperament were investigated in a pilot study. Maternal attitudes, self-definition, and perceptions of infant temperament were determined through mothers' self-report. Results indicated that maternal attitudes-including self-confidence and feelings toward infants and children-were positively relate...

Variation in postpartum maternal care programs the development of neuroendocrine and mesolimbic dopamine pathways in female offspring Catherine Jensen Peña Variation in adult rat maternal behavior is predicted by the experience of maternal licking and grooming (LG) in infancy, such that females that experience high levels of LG (High LG) during postnatal development typically themselves become ...

This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Though hormonal changes occurring throughout pregnancy and at the time of parturition have been demonstrated to prime the maternal brain and trigger the onset of mother-infant interactions, extended experience with neonates can induce similar behavioral interactions. Sensitization, a phenomenon in which rodents engage in parental response...

BACKGROUND Intergenerational effects of child abuse have been documented, but it is unknown whether maternal childhood abuse influences offspring mental health in adolescence or adulthood. METHODS To examine whether maternal experience of childhood abuse is associated with depressive symptoms in adolescent and young adult offspring, we linked data from two large longitudinal cohorts of women ...

Two studies examined the relations between young adults' empathic responding and their perceptions of two maternal behaviors. As predicted from self-determination theory, perceived maternal control had unique negative associations with empathic support of one's romantic partner (indicated by both self-reports and partner reports) and with empathic concern for others in general, and a unique pos...