Infant social withdrawal with parents and strangers—The role of parental sensitivity and depression

Infant social withdrawal is an early indicator of infant distress linked to adverse socio-emotional development. We hypothesized that parental sensitivity moderates an association between parental depression (PPD) and infant social withdrawal. We examined these associations cross-sectionally in 471 families in which mothers screened positive for PPD, assessing infant social withdrawal (mean infant age 3.6 months) during interactions with mothers, fathers/co-parents and a stranger. No significant association was found between parental PPD symptom severity and infant social withdrawal in interaction with either the parents or the stranger. Instead, parental sensitivity was negatively associated with infant social withdrawal in mother-infant interactions and less consistently in father/co-parent-infant interactions, though not in interactions with the stranger. Thus, in families at risk for PPD, infant withdrawal may be more closely related to parental sensitivity than parental depressive symptoms. Moreover, the influence of parental sensitivity on infant social withdrawal may not extend beyond parent-infant interactions.