Maternal care patterns and behavioral development of rhesus macaque abused infants in the first 6 months of life
Corresponding Author
K. McCormack
Department of Psychology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University Atlanta, GA
Department of Psychology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA.Search for more papers by this authorM.M. Sanchez
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University Atlanta, GA
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University Atlanta, GA
Search for more papers by this authorM. Bardi
Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Search for more papers by this authorD. Maestripieri
Department of Comparative Human Development, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
K. McCormack
Department of Psychology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University Atlanta, GA
Department of Psychology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA.Search for more papers by this authorM.M. Sanchez
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University Atlanta, GA
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University Atlanta, GA
Search for more papers by this authorM. Bardi
Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Search for more papers by this authorD. Maestripieri
Department of Comparative Human Development, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
We investigated the maternal care patterns of rhesus macaque mothers who physically abuse their infants, and compared their infants' behavior to that of nonabused infants. Parametric and multidimensional scaling analyses indicated that abusive mothers have a distinct parenting style characterized by high rates of rejection and contact-breaking from their infants. Compared to control infants, abused infants exhibited signs of delayed independence from their mothers including higher rates of distress calls and anxiety, lower rates of contact-breaking, and differences in play. Several aspects of the abused infants' behavior were correlated with rates of abuse received during the first month, or with other maternal behaviors. These findings provide a more comprehensive characterization of the parenting styles of abusive mothers and the early behavioral development of their infants than previously available. Detailed knowledge of the early experience of abused infants is crucial for understanding possible pathological alterations in behavior and neuroendocrine function later in life. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 48: 537–550, 2006.
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