Short communicationMaternal bonding in childhood moderates autonomic responses to distress stimuli in adult males

- Autonomic nervous system responses to vocal distress are moderated by quality of participant maternal bonding during childhood.
- Participants who reported optimal maternal bonding showed greater calming response to distressful stimuli.
- Participants who reported non-optimal maternal bonding showed a heightened distress response to distressful stimuli.

Mother-child bonding influences the development of cognitive and social skills. In this study we investigate how maternal attachment, developed in early childhood, modulates physiological responses to social stimuli later in life. Our results suggest that the autonomic nervous system's responses to vocal distress are moderated by the quality of participants' maternal bonding. In particular, participants with optimal maternal bonding showed a greater calming response to distressful stimuli whereas participants with non-optimal maternal bonding showed a heightened distress response.