UNDER THE SKIN: EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ON INFANT’S BEHAVIORAL AND AFFECTIVE THERMAL RESPONSES TO DISRUPTIONS IN EARLY INTERACTION

During mother-infant interactions behavioral and physiological co-regulatory mechanisms occur, including temperature co-regulation. Infrared thermal imaging (ITI) is a promising technique for measuring cutaneous thermal variations that reflect autonomic activity. Maternal smartphone use and maternal psychopathology may substantially reduce maternal responsiveness consequently disrupting mother-infant behaviors and co-regulation processes. To date, no studies have simultaneously addressed their effects on mother-infant behavior and physiology. The Autonomic Regulatory Interactions Early in Life (ARIEL) project investigated how mothers and infants respond to smartphone-related distractions at a behavioral and thermal level, and explored potential associations with maternal psychological distress. Thirty-eight mother-infant dyads performed an adapted double face-to-face Still Face paradigm, in which a Technoference and a Paperference episodes were included. Infant and maternal behavior were recorded through a 360° camera and were microanalytically coded. Forehead and nasal tip temperature of the dyads were measured using thermal cameras. Maternal psychological distress (i.e. depression, anxiety and perceived stress) was assessed through self-report questionnaires, namely the EPDS, GAD-7 and PSS-10. From our results, it emerges that infants showed behavioral signals of distress during Technoference and Paperference episodes. Furthermore, they showed a specific decrease in forehead temperature during Technoference as compared to free play and reunions episodes. In contrast, maternal forehead temperature significantly decreased during Paperference, whereas maternal nasal temperature was at the lowest during free play and increase during the procedure. Associations between maternal psychological distress and mother-infant temperature as well as infant behavior were found; interestingly, greater depression, anxiety and perceived stress were all linked to lower maternal temperatures during Technoference. Our results can be useful to inform mothers on the potential negative impact of smartphone use when interacting with their infant, and for practitioners working on maternal mental health. Future research on these topics should be conducted in larger, clinical samples and in ecological settings. Keywords: mother-infant interaction, infrared thermal imaging, smartphone use, maternal psychopathology