Associations Between Parity and Parasympathetic Regulation in Response to Infant Cry

Research suggests that women’s parasympathetic responses to infant cry reflect regulation of arousal and are associated with caregiving behaviors. In particular, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) withdrawal in response to infant cry has been associated with maternal sensitivity. However, the ways in which multiple reproductive experiences (i.e., parity, conceptualized as giving birth and raising a child) can modulate women’s RSA in response to infant cry is still unknown. The aim of this study was to test whether and how women’s RSA in response to infant cry was associated with parity. Participants included 184 women (62 nulliparous women; 86 primiparous women; 36 multiparous women). RSA was measured while women were watching a neutral video, followed by videos of crying infants. Analyses revealed that the cry condition was associated with a significant RSA withdrawal, compared to the baseline condition, in both multiparous and nulliparous women. A statistically significant RSA withdrawal was absent among primiparous women, possibly reflecting a more sustained physiological arousal to infant cry. Discussion focuses on the potential challenges in physiological regulation, indexed by RSA withdrawal, among primiparous women in response to infant cry. More sustained arousal may both support an increased focus on infant signals, but also predispose new mothers to perceive greater stress.