Correlates of parent-infant interaction: an exploratory study.

The self-reported parent-infant interaction scores of 66 new parents were compared to selected prenatal, birth, and postpartum experiences. For women, prenatal expectations for infant interaction accounted for 61% of the variance in their parent-infant interaction. For men, a combination of low trait anxiety and high prenatal expectations accounted for 52% of the total variance. Low trait anxiety alone accounted for 27% of the variance and prenatal expectations another 26% of the variance for men, indicating little potential overlap in the combined predictive potential of these variables. Furthermore, the difference between expectation to interact and self-reported interaction for men correlated significantly with trait anxiety (r = 0.50, p = 0.001). No similar correlations of anxiety and parent-infant interaction were noted in women. All other variables relating to parent characteristics and/or the labor/delivery experience were found to have little relationship to parent-infant interaction. More research is recommended to further explore anxiety in new fathers. Parenting education for both parents is discussed in terms of role mastery techniques which can begin in childbirth preparation classes.