November 20, 2003
Infant-parent relationships will be focus of new lab
The new Birth-to-Three Research Lab in the UW’s Center on Infant Mental Health and Development (CIMHD) is gearing up to conduct studies on the development of infant-parent relationships in the first year, disruptions or disturbances in these relationships, and the effectiveness of brief interventions by attachment specialists. Launched in October, the laboratory fulfills a vision by CIMHD founder Dr. Kathryn Barnard to provide the local community with the benefits of the latest research in early development. The lab will also support further investigations into the important role attachment plays in the healthy social and emotional growth of children.
Dr. Susan J. Spieker, professor of nursing and core faculty in CIMHD, is director of the new lab and will be assisted by Dr. Ursula C. Hildebrandt, a postdoctoral fellow in family and child nursing who is also enrolled in the CIMHD’s Graduate Certificate Program in Infant Mental Health. Spieker has studied the relationship between caregiving experiences during infancy and later behavior problems and social competence.
“Small corrections early on are much easier to manage than fixing the problems that can develop in the future,” says Spieker.
The first families being seen in the lab, primarily mothers and young infants, are part of a pilot study Spieker is conducting with nursing doctoral student Sandra N. Jolley. The researchers observe mothers with and without postpartum depression and the interactions they have with their babies during playing and feeding. They are also looking at the infants’ temperament, stress levels, and sense of secure attachment.
The laboratory features an observation room and a large, comfortable play and consultation area with serene water views. Spieker and Hildebrandt describe the pilot project that will launch the new lab as a means of testing and refining an assessment protocol that can be utilized in future clinical work, training, and research.
“Assessing infants and families during the first year requires a new language,” says Spieker. “We will try to create a common language or understanding that can be used by teachers, researchers and therapists in order to improve communication and advance the application of knowledge about early relationships, including attachment theory.” Spieker notes that many difficulties parents experience during the first year, such as feeding and sleeping problems, have complex causes.
“We are also interested in babies who vary in their sensory processing,” she explains. “Some babies are hyposensitive, some are hypersensitive. If we can identify a baby’s temperament, we can help parents manage their infants sensitively.”
Initially funded by a donation to CIMHD, the laboratory will require additional philanthropy and grant support to continue. Plans are to eventually expand the age of participants to birth through five years.
