Promoting Infant Mental Health: Supporting parenting and early attachment

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Promoting Infant Mental HealthSupporting
parenting and early attachment
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What do we mean by infant mental health?

• Infant mental health is the optimal growth and
  social-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive
  development of the infant in the context of the
  unfolding relationship between infant and parent.
• (Infant Mental Health Feasibility Study
  (1998). Center for Early Education and
  Development, College of Education, University of
  Minnesota, Minneapolis).

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The field of infant mental health may be defined
as multidisciplinary approaches

• to enhancing the social and emotional
  competence of infants in their biological,
  relationship, and cultural contexts.
  Infant-caregiver relationships are the primary
  focus of assessment and intervention efforts, not
  only because infants are so dependent upon their
  caregiving contexts but also because infant
  competence may vary widely in different
  relationships.
• Zeanah, C.H. Zeanah, P.D. (2001). In C.H.
  Zeanah Handbook of infant mental health (2nd
  ed.). New York Guilford Press.

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In other words

• a babys maturation
• taking place
• across the spectrum
• in its idiosyncratic way
• in a facilitating relational environment
• is indicative of the babys mental health

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Convergence of attachment, infant
developmental and psychoanalytic research and
clinical work

• Babies are primed for a specific, intimate
  relationship with their primary attachment
  figures
• Post natal brain development is experience
  dependent

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• Windows of opportunity present according to the
  developmental timetable of the brain
• Early experiences are encoded in procedural
  memory
• Early experiences retain their influence
  throughout life and
• Are triggered into action in attachment
  relationships.

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Risk factors in the parent-infant relationship

• The presence of risk factors in the
  parent-infant relationship conveys a probability
  of unfavourable developmental outcome for the
  baby.
• Epidemiologic
• Psychological
• Attachment

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Supporting parenting and early attachment

• The focus of an infant mental health programme
  is on the relationship and, this requires
  supporting the parent and baby.

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Supporting early attachment and intervening
where there is risk

• The focus of an infant mental health programme
  is on the relationship, this requires supporting
  the parent and baby, to
• Enhance mentalisation in the parent
• Build the babys capacities to engage his parents
• Increase positive intersubjective experiences and
  repair of negative interactions

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What is required of the professional?What is
required of the professional?

• An updated knowledge base about early development
  and the parent infant relationship
• An enquiring, non-judgemental stance
• The ability to straddle both infant and parent/s
  needs and inner worlds
• A capacity to work with strong emotions
• A willingness to be in touch with their own
  attachment experiences and emotions
• Non prescriptive interventions allowing the
  parent and baby to create understanding and reach
  solutions.