Department of Developmental Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9140, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Stress. 2010 Nov;13(6):491-7. doi: 10.3109/10253890.2010.483298. Epub 2010 Jul 28.
In previous studies, a higher quality of care-giving behavior reduced the cortisol response to acute stressors in infants aged 3 months and older. Here, we investigated whether the quality of maternal care-giving behavior affected the cortisol response to being bathed in 5-week-old infants (N = 141). Mothers and infants were observed during a bathing routine. Infant saliva samples were collected before and after bathing to assess cortisol concentrations, and the quality of maternal care-giving behavior was scored from videotapes. Bathing elicited a significant increase in infant salivary cortisol level (reactivity), and cortisol concentrations returned to pre-stressor values 40 min after bathing (recovery). In contrast, with previous findings in older infants, the quality of maternal care giving was not associated with either cortisol reactivity or recovery. This finding suggests that the quality of maternal care-giving behavior is not effective in modulating 5-week-old infants' cortisol responses to a (mild) physical stressor. Although a satisfactory neurophysiological explanation for this inference is still lacking, current knowledge of the behavioral development of very young infants supports this suggestion.
在之前的研究中，更高质量的照护行为降低了 3 个月及以上婴儿对急性应激源的皮质醇反应。在这里，我们调查了母亲的照护行为质量是否会影响 5 周大婴儿（N=141）洗澡时的皮质醇反应。在洗澡过程中观察母亲和婴儿。在洗澡前后采集婴儿唾液样本以评估皮质醇浓度，并从录像带中评分母亲照护行为的质量。洗澡引起婴儿唾液皮质醇水平（反应性）显著增加，皮质醇浓度在洗澡后 40 分钟恢复到应激前水平（恢复）。与之前对较大婴儿的研究结果相反，母亲照护行为的质量与皮质醇反应性或恢复无关。这一发现表明，母亲的照护行为质量并不能有效调节 5 周大婴儿对（轻度）物理应激源的皮质醇反应。尽管对于这一推断还缺乏令人满意的神经生理学解释，但目前对非常年幼婴儿行为发展的了解支持了这一建议。
