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Multiple determinants of parental burnout have been identified, among which two indexes of non-supportive coparenting play a central role: low endorsement of the partner's parenting, and high exposure of the child to interparental conflicts. It is, however, unclear whether these coparenting dimensions play a role for both mothers and fathers, and if this role may be more important for parents who have a high interdependent self-construal. We surveyed a sample of upper-middle-class heterosexual parents living in a dual-earner family arrangement (152 mothers, 101 fathers) with 0- to 12-year-old children living at home. Parents answered questionnaires about burnout, sociodemographic variables, coparenting, self-construal independence and interdependence, and child-related variables. Generalized linear model analyses showed that (i) burnout is higher in mothers than in fathers; (ii) for fathers, burnout is associated with a higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts; (iii) for mothers, it is associated with a younger age of the youngest child, a higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts, a lower endorsement of the partner's parenting, and a higher self-construal interdependence; and (iv) there is no moderation effect of interdependence on the link between the coparenting dimensions and burnout. Burnout is higher in mothers than it is in fathers For fathers, burnout is linked with higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts, an index of non-supportive coparenting For mothers, burnout is linked with a younger age of the youngest child and with two indexes of non-supportive coparenting: higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts and lower endorsement of the partner's parenting A high interdependent self-construal is related to burnout in mothers and does not moderate the links between non-supportive coparenting and burnout in either parent Specificities in the variables linked to burnout in mothers and in fathers should be taken into account when treating parental burnout [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Both parents may report high levels of stress during the perinatal period with possible negative consequences for parental well-being and child development. Parental sense of efficacy moderates the effect of stress. To date, no studies have assessed links between parental stress and mother-father-infant interactions in terms of family alliance and the extent to which each parent's sense of efficacy moderates these links. Design. In this study, 65 dual-parent families answered a questionnaire about parental stress between 36 and 38 weeks of pregnancy and at 3 months after birth. Families were also observed while playing with their 3-month-old infant in the Lausanne Trilogue Play, and they completed a questionnaire about parental efficacy. Results. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that higher maternal or paternal postnatal stress has a direct link with higher family alliance and the links between stress and family alliance are moderated by complex interaction effects between maternal and paternal senses of efficacy. Conclusions. This study shows the necessity of considering the interaction between the senses of self-efficacy of both parents as moderators of parenting stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that the quality of mother-infant interactions, as measured by mother-infant synchrony, is associated with infants' vagal tone, a physiological indicator of emotion regulation. However, little is known about the association between the infant's vagal tone and the quality of father-infant interactions. Existing literature suggests that the greater quantity of time a father spends with the infant, either alone (dyadic time) or with others (social time) may strengthen this association. In this study we investigated the association between father-infant synchrony and infants' vagal tone in 77 dyads made up of fathers and their 3-month-old infants, considering the moderating roles of dyadic time and social time. Results revealed no direct associations between father-infant synchrony and infants' vagal tone. Moderation analyses revealed that more social time increases the association between synchrony and vagal tone. This result indicates a potential influence of family interactive processes. Key findings Father-infant synchrony is not associated with infants' vagal tone in father-infant interactions. The time that fathers share with infants facilitates associations between father-infant synchrony and infants' vagal tone during father-infant interactions. Further investigations should explore whether interactive processes during shared family time influence dyadic father-infant interactions and the infant's physiological emotion regulation at 3 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess, across the first year after surgery, the influence of attachment insecurity, that is, avoidant and anxious tendencies, on body image, sexual activity, and side effects of treatments in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Design: A total of 110 women with non-metastatic breast cancer were surveyed 2 weeks (T1), 3 months (T2), and 12 months (T3) after surgery. Methods: Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess attachment tendencies (avoidance and anxiety), medical data (cancer stage, oncological treatment), sociodemographic data (age, socioeconomic level, relational status), and the three outcomes. Results: Generalized linear modeling showed that (1) having more avoidant and anxious attachment tendencies predicted a more negative body image, as did being younger and having undergone a mastectomy; (2) having more avoidant attachment tendencies predicted being sexually inactive, as did having undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant hormonal therapy, whereas being younger and in a committed relationship predicted being sexually active; and (3) attachment tendencies did not predict the intensity of side effects, whereas a higher cancer stage and being at the beginning of treatment predicted more side effects. Conclusions: Women with avoidant and anxious attachment tendencies may be especially vulnerable to the consequences of oncological treatment, in particular regarding body image and sexual activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was aimed at assessing the links between shared parental care and maternal and paternal sensitivity and coparenting over the first 2 years of the child's life. The sample consisted of 69 families who took part in the study when their child was 3, 9, and 18 months old. Sensitivity and coparenting interactions were assessed in our laboratory with situations of observation: a free play and the Lausanne Trilogue Play. The main results are that (a) maternal and paternal sensitivity increases with time but sensitivity is not linked with either maternal or paternal care; (b) coparenting support is higher when the father or the mother is engaged in care at one or two of the time points than when they are engaged at the three time points; and (c) there are interaction effects according to which support is higher in couples where both parents are engaged at the three time points. These results suggest that the interplay of maternal and paternal care has to be taken into account to understand the development of coparenting in the early family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coparental relationship is central for the development of the child and the well-being of parents. In Western societies, gender-role stereotypes are strongly associated with domestic and family work. To date, few data are available to assess the links between identification with gender roles and coparenting interactions. In this study, primiparous parents (N = 50) were seen in the laboratory at the fifth month of pregnancy. Parents were asked to play with their baby at the first meeting by using a doll in accordance with the procedure of the prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play. Parents' identification with gender roles, marital satisfaction, and the history of the couple were assessed through self-reported questionnaires. Results showed that (a) feminine traits are most represented in mothers and feminine and androgynous traits are most represented in fathers and (b) being feminine in fathers is linked with better prenatal coparental interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated sexual outcomes in individuals presenting fearful-avoidant attachment, that is, those who have both high avoidant and anxious attachment tendencies (reluctant to engage in a close relationship and a dire need to be loved by others). A community sample of men and women (N = 600; 25-45 years) completed self-reported questionnaires related to attachment, sexuality, and control variables. Results showed that fearful avoidance is predictive of (a) more sexual partners in individuals during their lifetime and (b) greater sexual compliance. These effects were true for women as well as for men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of maternal and paternal representations of mother-child and father-child relationships on coparenting interactions during the first two years of the child's life. The sample constituted 69 families whose mothers' and fathers' representations were assessed when their child was 3, 9, and 18 months old with a self-reported questionnaire. Coparenting support and conflict were assessed in our laboratory with the Lausanne Trilogue Play, a standardized situation of observation. Questionnaires were used to control for variables known to influence coparenting: marital satisfaction and child temperament. Results show that (i) parental representations are stable through time; (ii) both parents tend to see themselves and the other parent as less tolerant as the child gets older; (iii) representations explain coparenting support over and above other variables of influence; and (iv) there is an interaction effect between representations and the child's gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP) is a widely used laboratory situation designed for the systematic observation of mother-father-infant interactions for clinical and research purposes. Nevertheless, its ecological validity has never been tested. In this exploratory study, 49 primiparous parents with their 3-month-old infants were assessed by questionnaires to determine the extent to which their behaviour in the LTP was typical, that is, representative of everyday interactions. Results show that (a) most of the parents assessed their behaviour as typical and (b) the quality of triadic interactions was linked with parents' assessment of the typicality of the infant's behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of one parent's presence on the quality of the interaction between the other parent and their three-month-old infant. Family interactions were observed in a sample of 69 two-parent families. Parental sensitivity was assessed during two sessions, first in a ‘dyadic’ context (D) and then in a ‘dyad within the triad’ context (DT). Subsequently, we compared maternal and paternal sensitivity in the D and DT contexts according to the quality of family functioning (‘high coordination’ versus ‘low coordination’). The results showed that parents were significantly more sensitive in the DT context than in the D context. This effect appeared to vary according to the quality of family alliance. Moreover, family alliance was globally associated with sensitive parenting. This study helps clarify the role of the triad as a protective factor for early infant–parent dyads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toddlers experience stress and express distress during routine paediatric examinations with immunisation. Adjustment to this situation is important, as distress and pain are interrelated. A negative experience of immunisation of their child, moreover, is often mentioned by parents as a reason for refusing routine vaccinations. This paper focuses on the motivation by the mother to inform her child of the immunisation to come and on the associations between information, maternal behaviour, and toddler distress during the examination. Research took place in a private paediatrician practice. The sample comprised 41 mother–child dyads (24 girls, 17 boys; mean age 22.7 months, standard deviation 4.7 months). Mothers were interviewed about the information they gave to the child before the examination. Their answers were coded for motives using content analysis. The entire examination was then video-recorded and the films coded for maternal verbal behaviour (stress-promoting and coping-promoting comments) and toddlers’ expressed distress. The information given varied, with 10 toddlers (24%) receiving no information, 10 (24%) being informed of the visit to the doctor and 21 (52%) being also informed about the immunisation. Motives for informing the child consisted mainly of “anticipatory” (to not surprise the child) and “relational” (to communicate openly) arguments; motives for not informing were mainly based on “rational” (the child is too young) arguments. Analyses show that information was not directly associated with child distress. Stress-promoting comments of the mother were associated with child distress, but only if the child was informed. Maternal behaviour during the examination and information may thus mediate the effect of the maternal motivation on the child's distress. Taking into account not only what the mother does during the examination, but also what she intends to do may help practitioners coach mothers to help their child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal dissociative symptoms which can be comorbid with interpersonal violence-related post-traumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) have been linked to decreased sensitivity and responsiveness to children's emotional communication. This study examined the influence of dissociation on neural activation independently of IPV-PTSD symptom severity when mothers watch video-stimuli of their children during stressful and non-stressful mother-child interactions. Based on previous observations in related fields, we hypothesized that more severe comorbid dissociation in IPV-PTSD would be associated with lower limbic system activation and greater neural activity in regions of the emotion regulation circuit such as the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Twenty mothers (of children aged 12-42 months), with and without IPV-PTSD watched epochs showing their child during separation and play while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Multiple regression indicated that when mothers diagnosed with IPV-PTSD watched their children during separation compared to play, dissociative symptom severity was indeed linked to lowered activation within the limbic system, while greater IPV-PTSD symptom severity was associated with heightened limbic activity. Concerning emotion regulation areas, there was activation associated to dissociation in the right dlPFC. Our results are likely a neural correlate of affected mothers' reduced capacity for sensitive responsiveness to their young child following exposure to interpersonal stress, situations that are common in day-to-day parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paediatric examination with immunization is a stressful event for toddlers. Its characteristics are close to the classic 'Strange Situation': a perceived threat, which activates the attachment system, a stranger, and an unfamiliar environment. As such, it can be used as a natural situation to assess the quality of the mother-child attachment, on one hand to manage the stress of the toddler during the paediatric examination, and on the other to screen for relationship disturbances. To this end, we have developed a specific coding instrument, the Paediatric Attachment Style Indicator (PASI), which allows classification of infant and toddler behaviour in the paediatric examination as secure, anxious-avoidant, or anxious-ambivalent. This article presents the PASI instrument and its validation. Paediatric examinations (N = 41 mother and toddler dyads) were videotaped during a booster session of the regular immunization schedule for toddlers in Switzerland. Results of the PASI coding were compared with other methods of direct observation of emotional behaviour of the toddler (distress signals) and of the mother (verbal behaviours), with the information given by the mother to the toddler before the examination, and with the assessment of temperament of the toddler by the paediatrician. Results show good face validity and construct validity for the instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During these last decades, the notion of primary intersubjectivity has gained acceptance among developmentalists and clinicians. But a new challenge is put out to our models by recent findings on the triangular competence of the very young infant, or her capacity to simultaneously communicate with two partners at a time. This discovery raises the question of a collective form of intersubjectivity. Findings on the triangular competence of the 3- to 4-month-old interactions with father and mother in different contexts of the Lausanne trilogue play situation are reviewed and illustrated, with a view to examine whether it is based on a dyadic or triangular program and whether conditions for a threesome form of primary intersubjectivity are fulfilled. The discussion focuses on the revisions of the theory of intersubjectivity, of developmental theory, and of clinical practice these findings call for, pointing toward a three -person psychology too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study of parental satisfaction with services provided to their child by an Early Intervention Service in Geneva, Switzerland. The Service offers psycho-educational home-based interventions for developmentally delayed children. Parents whose child used the service between 1991 and 2001 filled out a questionnaire with Likert scales (adapted from the European Parent Satisfaction Scale about Early Intervention) that evaluated items related to satisfaction in a number of domains. The questionnaires returned (n=100) revealed the existence of a general satisfaction dimension, for which results were highly positive. Socio-economic variables were not related to parental satisfaction. The analysis of variables related to the child's diagnosis showed that satisfaction is lower when children present behavioural problems than when sensorial or motor problems are diagnosed. Practical implications of the results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study focuses on non‐verbal behaviour in father–mother–infant triads. Analyses were done on transitional moments during which the partners exchanged an active role for a participant–observer role, or vice versa. Transitions are known to be crucial moments for revealing familial transactional mechanisms. Our sample was comprised of six non‐clinical families, characterized by different types of functional or problematic alliances (which is the degree of coordination between the partners). Our methodology included micro‐analysis of body and gaze formations, facial expressions, and so on. Data were analysed using the research package ‘THEME’ for the detection of hidden patterns. Different types of non‐verbal patterns were found, which may be prototypes corresponding to the different types of alliance. The patterns of the families with high alliances had a more elaborate construction and were more efficient for the concluding of transitions than the patterns of families with low alliances, which were either elementary or laborious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of the relationship between emotions and autobiographical narratives by preschoolers (aged three to five years). We designed a laboratory situation in which the children actively participated in a short scenario (the Geneva Emotion-Eliciting Scenario). This scenario's central theme is the separation of two friends, which is an emotionally salient event for children of this age. Two emotional variables were studied: (i) emotions experienced by the child throughout the scenario; and (ii) "affective closeness" between the child and its interviewer, either an experimenter or the child's mother. The coding of children narratives was based on a content analysis. Results showed that: (i) the expression of emotions congruent to the events encountered throughout the scenario is not related to the content of the narrative, apart from in the case of the specific "separation" event; and (ii) narratives are longer and their emotional content more elaborate when the interviewer is the child's mother rather than an experimenter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]