Infants’ emotional states influence maternal behaviors during holding

• Infants’ emotional states influence maternal holding behaviors.
• Mothers changed rocking behaviors depending on infants’ emotion.
• Mothers rocked infants horizontally and quietly when infants were comfortable.
• Mothers rocked infants vertically at a high rate when infants were uncomfortable.
• Parenting stress was related to several types of holding behaviors.

Previous studies have mainly examined how maternal behaviors influence infants during holding. However it is unclear how infants influence maternal holding. This current study investigated how infants’ emotional states influence maternal holding behaviors, and whether maternal holding behaviors are also influenced by the mothers’ parenting stress. We manipulated infants’ emotional states and videotaped mothers’ holding behaviors. The mothers also completed a questionnaire about their parental stress. Results showed that mothers varied their holding behaviors depending on their infants’ emotional states. When infants were comfortable, mothers rocked them horizontally and quietly. When infants were uncomfortable, mothers rocked them vertically at a high frequency. Furthermore, some types of parenting stress were related to several types of maternal behaviors in the context of holding. These findings suggest that maternal holding behaviors are influenced by both the infants’ emotional states and the mothers’ parenting stress.