Mothers' dopamine receptor polymorphism modulates the relation between infant fussiness and sensitive parenting.

We determined whether the combination of the 48-bp variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of the dopamine (DRD4) gene and infants' (fussy-difficult) temperament predicted parenting sensitivity. The sample was comprised of 147 mothers and their 6-month olds. Sensitive parenting was assessed by coding filmed interactions between mothers and infants.

Maternal anxiety, mother-infant interactions, and infants' response to challenge.

Children of anxious mothers are at risk for social-emotional difficulties and disturbed, early interactions with their mother may account for some of the risk. This study evaluated the association between maternal anxiety, features of mother-infant interactions, and infants' emotion regulation during stressful situations (still-face, play with a stranger). Thirty-four anxiety-disordered mothers of 6-month-old infants and 59 typical dyads comprised the sample.

Anxiety symptoms of new mothers during a period of recurrent, local terror.

Objective: From September 2000, Israelis have been exposed to frequent terror attacks. In this study, we evaluated the severity of anxiety symptoms among Jerusalem-based mothers during the period of terror (1/2002 to 2/2005).

Method: Women (N=595) were recruited from maternity wards in public hospitals throughout the three year interval, and each participant was administered a standardized anxiety inventory (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI) by phone five months after giving birth.