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Background: Maternal psychological factors like depression, anxiety and stress have been associated with infant fussiness or colic. However, little research exists on whether positive factors such as social support and the happiness of the mother-partner relationship are associated with lower rates of infant fussiness or colic., Objectives: We investigated the association between infant colic and three types of maternal support: general maternal social support (during pregnancy and post partum), the happiness of the mother-partner relationship (during pregnancy and post partum) and partner involvement in caring for the newborn., Methods: Participants were 3006 women in the First Baby Study, a prospective study of the effect of mode of first delivery on subsequent childbearing. Women were interviewed by telephone during pregnancy and 1 month after first childbirth and asked about social support and if their baby had a variety of problems since birth, including 'Colic - crying or fussiness three or more hours a day'. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to model the association between maternal support and infant colic, controlling for confounders, including maternal race or ethnicity, insurance, marital status, smoking, mode of delivery, maternal post-partum depression, breastfeeding, other neonatal illnesses and newborn gestational age., Results: Infant colic was reported by 11.6% of new mothers. High general maternal social support (in comparison with low), measured during pregnancy, was associated with lower reported infant colic (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.40-0.75) and measured post partum (AOR, 0.51, 95% CI, 0.39-0.67); high relationship happiness (in comparison with low), measured during pregnancy (AOR, 0.71, 95% CI, 0.54-0.93), and measured post partum (AOR, 0.22, 95% CI, 0.12-0.40); and high partner involvement with newborn care (in comparison with low) (AOR, 0.60, 95% CI, 0.44-0.81)., Conclusion: Higher levels of maternal social support during pregnancy and post partum are associated with lower rates of maternal reported infant colic., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Infant colic occurs between 10% and 40% of healthy born children in their first year of life. Its assessment is complex, and there are only a few instruments of appraisement and diagnosis., Methods: Scientific articles located through a systematic review using the Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, PEDro, Dialnet, IME and Dialnet databases. Two researchers obtained data independently from relevant studies previously identified. Risk of bias was assessed according to the methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration, with reporting following the preferred reported items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines and evaluating their methodological quality based on the EMPRO scale., Results: Four tools were obtained for valuation of infant colic. Parental diary of infant cry and fuss behaviour, Crying Pattern Questionnaire, Infant Colic Scale and, lastly, a validity of the Turkish version of the Infant Colic Scale., Conclusions: Analysis of the existing tools involves the need to design and validate new assessment scales for this clinical frame., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Method: We studied mother-infant, father-infant and mother-father interaction in 32 families with an excessively crying infant and in 30 control families. The group with excessive criers was divided further into subgroups of severe colic (n=13) and moderate colic (n=19). The three dyads of the family were video-recorded when the infants were an average of 5 weeks old. The assessment was carried out during the infant's feeding, nappy change and discussion between the parents. During the assessment, only four infants were crying. The Parent Child Early Relational Assessment Scale and the Beavers Scale were used., Results: The main findings suggest that both parents of colicky infants had less optimal parent-child interaction compared with the control parents. The problems in the interaction were most pronounced between the fathers and infants in the severe colic group. The father-infant interaction was less optimal in 13 items of 65 (20%) in the severe colic group, in one item of 65 (2%) in the moderate colic group and in none of the items in the control group. The mother-infant interaction was less optimal in six items out of 65 (9%) in the severe colic group, in three items out of 65 (5%) in the moderate colic, and in none of the items in the control group. Severely colicky infants were also less competent in interacting with their parents. In addition, interaction between the parents was more often dysfunctional in the severe colic group., Conclusions: The problems in early family interaction may threaten the well-being of families with excessively crying infants and they therefore deserve special attention from the health care professionals.

Mothers of infants who developed colic were compared with mothers of non-colic infants on their perceptions of parenting self-efficacy, and separation anxiety as well as their attachment relationship with their infants. Colic was identified prospectively through telephone contacts with mothers. Questionnaires on self-efficacy and separation anxiety were completed when infants were 5 months of age. At 18 months of age mothers and infants (colic and non-colic) participated in a laboratory situation to measure attachment. Results revealed that mothers of colic infants reported feeling less competent as mothers. In addition, while mothers of colicky infants tended to have more separation anxiety than mothers of non-colic infants, they felt that these separations did not have a negative effect on their child. Finally, no differences were revealed for attachment classifications between colic and non-colic infants at 18 months.

Excessive crying and colic in the first 3 months of life remain as mysterious and unsolved clinical problems. The mystery is contributed to by the relative lack of long-term follow-up studies. The findings from four new follow-up studies of infants with prior colic are analyzed in an attempt to derive a clearer picture of what 'life after colic' might be like for parents, infants, and their interactions. The bad news is that, for a subgroup of infants and parents, especially those with substantial additional risk factors, early excessive crying may not resolve, but evolve into a more generalized 'persistent mother-infant distress' syndrome. For some mothers of infants with colic, the risk of depressive symptoms or decreased self-efficacy may be increased. However, there appears to be good news for a substantial majority of infants with colic and for their parents. This includes a significant reduction over time in the amount of crying, intact parental and infant capacities to be responsive in interactive contexts, no significant maternal stress, and normal attachment relationships.