Infant sensory patterns: associations with previous perinatal loss, maternal-foetal attachment and postnatal maternal sensory patterns

Purpose This paper aims to investigate infant sensory patterns and their associations with previous perinatal loss, maternal-foetal attachment and postnatal maternal sensory patterns. Design/methodology/approach In a prospective cohort study, women with and without perinatal loss (N = 57) were recruited from an Australian public hospital. Participants were surveyed during pregnancy (maternal-foetal attachment, loss) and again postnatally (maternal/infant sensory patterns). Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses controlling for previous perinatal loss were conducted with infant sensory patterns as outcome variables. Findings “More than typical” infant low registration was associated with poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment. “More than typical” infant sensory seeking was associated with previous perinatal loss and higher levels of maternal sensory seeking. “More than typical” infant sensory sensitivity was linked with previous perinatal loss, poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment and higher maternal low registration. “More than typical” infant sensory avoidance was associated with poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment and higher levels of maternal sensory sensitivity. Practical implications To support more typical infant sensory patterns, results point to the potential benefit of occupational therapists supporting pregnant women with previous perinatal loss; facilitating favourable maternal-foetal attachment; and educating new mothers on how their sensory patterns impact on interactions with their infant. Sensory modulation strategies that consider the sensory patterns of both mother and infant may be beneficial to promote engagement in co-occupations. Originality/value These findings are the first to suggest that previous perinatal loss, poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment and higher levels of maternal postnatal sensory patterns represent risk factors for infant sensory patterns that are “more than typical.”

[1]  Alison M. Cogan,et al.  Evaluation of an Occupation-Based Retreat for Women After Pregnancy or Infant Loss. , 2019, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[2]  P. Meredith,et al.  Sensory sensitivity and its relationship with adult attachment and parenting styles , 2019, PloS one.

[3]  Rita Borg Xuereb,et al.  A narrative review of interventions addressing the parental-fetal relationship. , 2017, Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives.

[4]  P. Meredith,et al.  Associations Between Maternal-Foetal Attachment and Infant Developmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review , 2017, Maternal and Child Health Journal.

[5]  P. Meredith,et al.  “Not just a normal mum”: a qualitative investigation of a support service for women who are pregnant subsequent to perinatal loss , 2017, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.

[6]  Ananda Sen,et al.  Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms After Perinatal Loss in a Population-Based Sample. , 2016, Journal of women's health.

[7]  L. Cotton,et al.  Effects of infant and maternal sensory processing on infant fussing, crying, and sleep. , 2015, Infant mental health journal.

[8]  L. Doyle,et al.  Sensory profiles of children born < 30 weeks' gestation at 2 years of age and their environmental and biological predictors. , 2013, Early human development.

[9]  L. Doyle,et al.  Assessments of sensory processing in infants: a systematic review , 2013, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[10]  E. Cohn,et al.  Mothering when Mothers and Children Both have Sensory Processing Challenges , 2012 .

[11]  D. Whitcomb.  Attachment, Occupation, and Identity: Considerations in Infancy , 2012 .

[12]  K. Demyttenaere,et al.  Three self-report questionnaires of the early mother-to-infant bond: reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the MPAS, PBQ and MIBS , 2010, Archives of Women's Mental Health.

[13]  S. Pawlby,et al.  Psychological vulnerability in children next-born after stillbirth: a case-control follow-up study. , 2009, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[14]  T. May-Benson,et al.  Incidence of Pre-, Peri-, and Post-Natal Birth and Developmental Problems of Children with Sensory Processing Disorder and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , 2009, Front. Integr. Neurosci..

[15]  A. Yarcheski,et al.  A meta-analytic study of predictors of maternal-fetal attachment. , 2009, International journal of nursing studies.

[16]  B. Atchison.  Sensory modulation disorders among children with a history of trauma: a frame of reference for speech-language pathologists. , 2007, Language, speech, and hearing services in schools.

[17]  C. McMahon,et al.  Mood state and psychological adjustment to pregnancy , 2006, Archives of Women's Mental Health.

[18]  W. Dunn,et al.  Initial Development of the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile , 2002 .

[19]  A. Siddiqui,et al.  Does maternal prenatal attachment predict postnatal mother-infant interaction? , 2000, Early human development.

[20]  C J Shonkoff,et al.  Reactions to the threatened loss of a child: a vulnerable child syndrome, by Morris Green, MD, and Albert A. Solnit, MD, Pediatrics, 1964;34:58-66. , 1998, Pediatrics.

[21]  W. Dunn.  The Impact of Sensory Processing Abilities on the Daily Lives of Young Children and Their Families: A Conceptual Model , 1997 .

[22]  J T Condon,et al.  The assessment of antenatal emotional attachment: development of a questionnaire instrument. , 1993, The British journal of medical psychology.

[23]  A. Solnit,et al.  REACTIONS TO THE THREATENED LOSS OF A CHILD: A VULNERABLE CHILD SYNDROME. PEDIATRIC MANAGEMENT OF THE DYING CHILD, PART III. , 1964, Pediatrics.

[24]  A. Cain,et al.  ON REPLACING A CHILD. , 1964, Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry.

[25]  A. Sameroff.  The transactional model. , 2009 .