Tiffany Field’s research while affiliated with University of Miami and other places

Mother‐infant interactions are co‐regulated and provide the foundation for mother‐infant relationship quality. The implications of maternal depression and contextual demands (i.e., reinstating the interaction following maternal unavailability and vocalized infant distress) on observationally coded co‐regulation in mother‐infant dyads ( n = 40) at 4‐months was investigated. Associations among co‐regulation patterns and mother‐infant relationship quality was also examined. Dyads participated in Still‐Face (SF) and Separation (SP) procedures, with periods of maternal emotional and physical unavailability. Co‐regulation was captured using the Revised Relational Coding System. Relationship quality was examined using the Emotional Availability Scales. Dyads in the depressed group had significantly more unilateral exchanges than the non‐depressed group following the SF and SP perturbations. The depressed group also had significantly more distress vocalizations during the SP perturbation than the non‐depressed group. Co‐regulation in the depressed group was less disrupted by the SF perturbation. Positive relationship quality dimensions (maternal sensitivity, structuring, and infant responsiveness) were associated with more symmetrical and less unilateral co‐regulation regardless of the interaction period. There were also context‐specific results pertaining to patterns of co‐regulation and associated maternal hostility and infant responsiveness. Results highlight co‐regulatory differences in depressed mothers and their infants and how these differences are exacerbated by contextual demands.

Touch is an important means through which mothers and infants co-regulate during periods of stress or perturbation. The present study examined the synchrony of maternal and infant touching behaviours among 41 mother-infant dyads, some of whom were deemed at-risk due to maternal depressive symptomatology. Mothers and their 4-month-old infants participated in the Still-Face (maternal emotional unavailability; SF) and Separation (maternal physical unavailability; SP) procedures. Infant crying was examined across procedures and investigated as a brief period of perturbation. Results revealed that mothers and infants displayed a positive pattern of tactile synchrony (coordinated, analogous changes in touch) during infant crying episodes. However, dyads in the high depression group displayed significantly less affectionate touch during instances of infant crying. Furthermore, more depressive symptoms were associated with less maternal and infant touch and lower rates of infant crying. This group of dyads may be less expressive via touch, be less affected by disruptions in their interactions, have impaired regulatory abilities, or simply require minimal amounts of touch to mutually regulate following social stressors and during brief perturbation periods. These findings enrich our limited knowledge about the dynamic interplay of maternal and infant touch and inform preventative intervention programs for at-risk groups.

The current study investigates the relationship between rumination and missing relationships after a romantic breakup. Research studies on romantic relationships and breakup distress suggest that individuals experience negative post-breakup behaviors. Ex-partners report feeling overwhelmed, ruminating about negative thoughts, and avoiding behaviors (Marshall et al., 2013). Exploring post-breakup behaviors that negatively impact individuals is essential.

This study explored the relationships between loneliness, spirituality, self-care, and meditation during a COVID-19 Lockdown Loneliness significantly increased during a COVID-19 lockdown. Spirituality, meditation, and self-care have been associated with emotional well-being. However, their relationships with loneliness have been surprisingly missing from the COVID-19 lockdown literature.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental disorder characterizing impulsivity and instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and moods. The study explores the scope of BPD research in the eastern cultures with reference to India. The paper first explores the cultural manifestations of BPD in different cultures such as eastern and western. The paper further illustrates a critical review of studies conducted in Indian clinical population and the awareness of the disorder in India. Researches in cultures like India were found to be very few, based on small sample cases with limited efforts to understand the disorder. Hence, the need to study the disorder comprehensively and empirically in India is emphasized. The focus on the directions for more research in the field of personality psychopathology and its diagnosis has been identified. It was found that the appropriate identification of BPD is needed in India as the disorder is gaining popularity and there has been an increase in the epidemiology of the disorder in the western countries so the concern is to do more empirical studies, including epidemiological studies in eastern cultures also

Recent research has demonstrated greater prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to their typically developing peers. While there is an existing body of research that examines behavioral correlates of ASD and GI symptoms, few specifically examine social and adaptive profiles in this context. The aim of the current study was to identify correlations between social and adaptive skills in children with ASD, with the endorsement of GI symptoms. Significant correlations were found between GI symptoms and overall adaptive functioning, socialization, and daily living skills. No significant correlations were found between GI symptoms and communication skills, motor skills, or ADOS-2 severity scores. Strengths, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

This narrative review summarizes and critiques the relatively limited literature on the psychological effects of COVID-19 lockdowns in many parts of the world. These have included anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Risk factors or predictors have also been studied including the demographics of being young and living alone. Feeling isolated and lonely, stressed, bored, fatigued, and touch deprived have also been predictive. Specific worries about getting the virus and having financial problems were surprisingly less stressful. Although social media was expected to buffer negative effects, those data were mixed including that texting had positive effects, internet had both positive and negative effects, and Facebook time had negative effects. Buffers for stress and psychological problems included spirituality and meditation, touching, exercise, working from home, and other home activities. Methodological problems with these studies included their being self-report surveys that were often not representative of the larger populations and did not include baseline data, limiting any assumptions of causality. Nonetheless, collectively the data will help inform interventions for pandemic lockdowns like those of COVID-19.

Several negative relationship behaviors have been related to romantic breakup distress which, in turn, has been related to trauma symptoms following romantic breakups. This Survey Monkey correlation study assessed the direct association between negative relationship behaviors and trauma symptoms to formulate a profile of those at risk for trauma symptoms following romantic breakups. The survey included the Breakup Reasons Scale (a measure of negative relationship behaviors including loss of intimacy, affiliation, sexuality and autonomy), The Trauma Symptoms Checklist-38, and other factors related to breakup reasons. Correlation analyses suggested that scores on the Breakup Reasons Scale (negative relationship behaviors) were significantly related to trauma symptoms following romantic breakups. This relationship was explained by the loss of intimacy. In addition, negative relationship behaviors were significantly related to a more serious romantic relationship of longer duration, lower ratings of the relationship, less physical affection, more verbal abuse, more hours posting messages on the internet and a “betrayal being known to others”. These data suggest that these reliable scales and ratings could be used to form a profile for those at risk for a breakup and for those who might need intervention for trauma symptoms following a romantic breakup

Romantic breakup distress is prevalent and can have severe psychological and physiological effects including symptoms that mimic a heart attack. This Survey Monkey study assessed predictors of Breakup Distress Scale scores including scores on The Impact of Events Scale, The Trauma Symptoms Checklist-38, and The Missing the Partner Scale. A stepwise regression analysis suggested that the scores on The Impact of Events Scale (intrusive thoughts, avoidance of intrusive thoughts, and hyperarousal) explained 59% of the variance in scores on the Breakup Distress Scale. The Trauma Symptoms Checklist-38 scores contributed to another 7% of the variance, and the Missing the Partner Scale scores added another 3% for a total of 69% of the variance. Elevated scores on The Impact of Events Scale suggest that this sample was experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms and that these scales could be used to identify those who might need intervention for romantic breakup distress.