Parental Responses to Infant Parental Responses to Infant Crying: The Influence of Child Crying: The Influence of Child Physical Abuse Risk and Hostile Physical Abuse Risk and Hostile PrimingPriming

Matthew ChangMatthew Chang

Brittany WarringtonBrittany Warrington

Lisa KlineLisa KlinePSYC 308PSYC 308

October 14, 2008October 14, 2008

IntroductionIntroduction

Children <4 years of age account for 76.6% of child maltreatment fatalitiesChildren <4 years of age account for 76.6% of child maltreatment fatalities 41.9% of these deaths account for infants <1 year of age41.9% of these deaths account for infants <1 year of age Previous studies have shown: Previous studies have shown: 1. Parents who admit to physical abuse of infant describe infant1. Parents who admit to physical abuse of infant describe infant crying as excessive crying as excessive 2. High risk child physical abuse (CPA) risk parents are more inclined to 2. High risk child physical abuse (CPA) risk parents are more inclined to interpret infants cries in negative terms, thus increase the parents interpret infants cries in negative terms, thus increase the parents feelings of hostility and hostile behaviorsfeelings of hostility and hostile behaviors

Dependent Measures of Study:Dependent Measures of Study:- Trait ratings of crying infantTrait ratings of crying infant- Feelings of hostilityFeelings of hostility- Ability to modulate grip strength during hand grip taskAbility to modulate grip strength during hand grip task

IntroductionIntroduction HYPOTHESIZES HYPOTHESIZES (After viewing 2-minute video of crying infant):(After viewing 2-minute video of crying infant):

1.1. High compared to low, CPA risk parents would rate the infant High compared to low, CPA risk parents would rate the infant more negatively, report feeling higher levels of hostility and use more negatively, report feeling higher levels of hostility and use excessive force when attempting to modulate their grip to half excessive force when attempting to modulate their grip to half strengthstrength

2.2. After temporary activation of hostile schema: Parents in the After temporary activation of hostile schema: Parents in the hostile, versus neutral, priming condition would rate the crying hostile, versus neutral, priming condition would rate the crying infant more negatively, report feeling higher levels of hostility, infant more negatively, report feeling higher levels of hostility, and use excessive force when attempting to modulate their grip and use excessive force when attempting to modulate their grip to half strengthto half strength

3.3. Predicted that the combined influence of CPA risk status and Predicted that the combined influence of CPA risk status and priming would produce an additive effect, such that high CPA priming would produce an additive effect, such that high CPA risk parents in the hostile priming condition would report the risk parents in the hostile priming condition would report the highest negative trait ratings of the crying infant, more extreme highest negative trait ratings of the crying infant, more extreme feelings of hostility, and greater use of excessive force during feelings of hostility, and greater use of excessive force during the hand grip taskthe hand grip task

MethodsMethodsBACKGROUND INFORMATION:N= 84 (38.6% Male, 61.4% Female)Mean age: 31.7 years44.6% African American48.2% Caucasian7.2% Latino68.7% Not marriedMean # of children: 1.953.8% High school education of less

MATERIALS:~ Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory- 160 item, agree/disagree questionnaire designed to screen for CPA risk~ Scrambled Sentence Task- 12 sets of scrambled words under two conditions each: Hostile priming condition & Neutral priming condition; Parents must make scrambled words into complete sentence~ Infant Videos- Three 2-minute videos of an infant in three states: crying, quiet, or smiling~ Negative Trait Rating Task- Parents asked to rate child depicted in each video on 9 traits on 10-point scale~ Hostile Feelings- Emotional Reactions Questionnaire (ERQ)~ Hand Grip Modulation Task- measures parent’s ability to modulate hand grip to half strength

MethodsMethods

1. Sentence Unscrambling

Task

2. Viewing of infant videosegments with hand

grip task

3. Trait ratings following eachvideo segment

4. Rate feelings following video segments

by completing ERQ

5. Parents completeCAP Inventory

ResultsResults

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Smile Quiet Cry

Low Risk

High Risk

Negative Infant Trait Rating Task

ResultsResults

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Smile Quiet Cry

Neutral

Hostile

Hostile Feelings Ratings – Priming & Infant State Conditions

ResultsResults

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Smile Quiet Cry

High RiskHostile

High RiskNeutral

Low RiskHostile

Low RiskNeutral

Hostile Feelings Ratings - High & Low Risk Parents Across Priming & Infant State Conditions

DiscussionDiscussion

Crying may Ironically increase risk of hostile responses by Crying may Ironically increase risk of hostile responses by increasing parental hostility, although an infant signal of distress increasing parental hostility, although an infant signal of distress and assistance.and assistance.

Parents reported higher negative infant trait ratings and feelings of Parents reported higher negative infant trait ratings and feelings of hostility after viewing crying infant video.hostility after viewing crying infant video.

High risk CPA parents rated the crying infant more negatively and High risk CPA parents rated the crying infant more negatively and had higher feelings of hostility than the low risk CPA parents.had higher feelings of hostility than the low risk CPA parents.

High risk CPA status, hostile priming, and exposure to crying High risk CPA status, hostile priming, and exposure to crying infant each appear to collectively influence feelings of hostility, infant each appear to collectively influence feelings of hostility, and the highest all together.and the highest all together.

Among high CPA risk parents collectively, those exposed to Among high CPA risk parents collectively, those exposed to hostile words reported greater hostility than those exposed to hostile words reported greater hostility than those exposed to neutral words and used excessive force when modulating neutral words and used excessive force when modulating squeeze responses.squeeze responses.

Discussion- Current Lit.Discussion- Current Lit.

In an alternate study by Frodi & Lamb, it was In an alternate study by Frodi & Lamb, it was found that abusive parents displayed greater found that abusive parents displayed greater reactivity such as increases in heart rate.reactivity such as increases in heart rate.

Abusive parents also reported more aversion Abusive parents also reported more aversion and less sympathy for crying infants.and less sympathy for crying infants.

Abusive parents showed greater physiological Abusive parents showed greater physiological arousal after viewing videos of stressful child arousal after viewing videos of stressful child behavior.behavior.

Alternate and current study show that CPA risk Alternate and current study show that CPA risk parents experience similar feelings within parents experience similar feelings within results.results.

Discussion- ImprovementsDiscussion- Improvements

Have prolonged exposure to stimulus, i.e. Have prolonged exposure to stimulus, i.e. expose parents to infant crying video for 15 expose parents to infant crying video for 15 minutes rather than 2 minutes.minutes rather than 2 minutes.

Although difficult to control, have exposure to Although difficult to control, have exposure to real infants to determine if real live infant real infants to determine if real live infant exposure alters feelings of hostility.exposure alters feelings of hostility.

Assess parents hostility levels with their own Assess parents hostility levels with their own infants through longitudinal study.infants through longitudinal study.

ReferencesReferences

Crouch, Julie L., Skowronski, John J., Crouch, Julie L., Skowronski, John J., Milner, Joel S., & Harris, Benjamin Milner, Joel S., & Harris, Benjamin (2008). Parental respones to infant (2008). Parental respones to infant crying: The influence of child phsyical crying: The influence of child phsyical abuse risk and hostile priming. abuse risk and hostile priming. Child Child Abuse & NeglectAbuse & Neglect, , 3232, 702-710. , 702-710.