ABSTRACT While social withdrawal is a normal defense mechanism displayed by infants to regulate interactions, it can negatively impact infant development when it becomes chronic, leading to delays in motor, cognitive, and communication difficulties in later development. Infant withdrawal was associated with low levels of parental sensitivity (i.e., the capacity of a caregiver to perceive the child signals and to respond to them accurately with an appropriate timing during interactions) in mothers. Few studies have yet been conducted in fathers and even fewer have investigated these questions in both parent–infant dyads within families, so that the joint effects of maternal and paternal sensitivity on infant social withdrawal remain unknown. We investigated within‐ and between‐dyad associations between parental sensitivity and infant withdrawal during interactions with both parents in a sample of biparental families ( n = 61) and their 3‐month old infant. Results showed that higher paternal sensitivity was associated with lower infant withdrawal during father–infant interactions. The same effect was weaker in mothers and only significant when the effect of paternal sensitivity on infant withdrawal during mother–infant interaction was not taken into account. These results offer new insights about the reciprocal influences between the mother–infant and the father–infant relationships.

Hervé Tissot

Antoine Guédeney

Valentin Gonthier

Maëlla Hugonnier

Nicolas Favez

Infancy

Infancy, the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies, emphasizes the highest quality original research on normal and aberrant infant development during the first two years. Both human and animal research are included. In addition to regular length research articles and brief reports (3000-word maximum), the journal includes solicited target articles along with a series of commentaries; debates, in which different theoretical positions are presented along with a series of commentaries; and thematic collections, a group of three to five reports or summaries of research on the same issue, conducted independently at different laboratories, with invited commentaries.

Infancy, the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies, focuses on high-quality original research regarding both normal and atypical infant development during the first two years of life. The journal includes both human and animal studies. In addition to regular-length research articles and brief reports (maximum 3000 words), it features solicited target articles, debates presenting different theoretical perspectives along with commentaries, and thematic collections comprising three to five independent research reports or summaries on the same issue, accompanied by invited commentaries.

《Infancy》是国际婴儿研究学会的官方期刊，专注于高质量的原创研究，涵盖正常和异常的婴儿发展，特别是在生命的前两年。期刊接受人类和动物的研究。除了常规的研究文章和简短报告（最多3000字），期刊还包括特邀的主题文章、辩论（不同理论观点的呈现及其评论）以及专题集合（由三到五篇独立于不同实验室进行的研究报告或总结组成，并附有特邀评论）。

Parental Sensitivity and Infant Social Withdrawal During Mother–Infant and Father–Infant Interactions

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL	3