Maternal Touch Behaviors during mother-infant interactions: a longitudinal study at 6 and 10 months of age.

Caregiver touch has been found to positively impact several outcomes in child development; however, early patterns of caregiver-to-infant touch during the first year of life remain significantly underexplored. This study aims to explore differences in maternal touch behaviors depending on task demands and infant age; and to evaluate the effects of maternal depressive symptoms and socioeconomic status (SES) on touch behaviors. Eighty-six mother-infant dyads were longitudinally assessed at infants 6 and 10 months of age during 9-minute mother-infant interaction divided into free play with toys, free play without toys, and play with a challenging toy. Maternal touch behaviors were coded into eight mutually exclusive categories: Affectionate; Static; Playful/Stimulating; Instrumental; Accidental; Attentional Directing; Regulatory; Intrusive/Negative. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Mothers displayed more affectionate, static, and instrumental touch when interacting without toys compared to object-oriented tasks. Mothers used less affectionate, static and instrumental touch and more attentional directing touch when infants were older. No effects of SES and maternal depressive symptoms were found. Overall, our findings suggest that task demands and infant age impact patterns of maternal touch, highlighting mothers’ ability to adjust their behavior to their child’s needs and developmental stage.