What is Infant Mental Health? by Andjela Vulovic

Abstract

Infant Mental Health states that the relationships of infants and caregivers affect infant development in a significant way. This field of psychology states that the development of infants is directly related to their levels of stress and mental well-being early in life. This field aims to support infant-caregiver relationships in a way that will produce positive outcomes later in life. This field is an important field of psychology, as evidence shows that high levels of stress produce high levels of cortisol in infants which can lead them to have number of negative outcomes later in life, from poor social skills and high aggression, to depression and anxiety. Pediatricians and psychologists intervene in infant mental health by preforming developmental milestone checks, as well as by offering opportunities for parents to find a number of resources to offer them help in understanding and engaging with their infant.

What is Infant Mental Health?

Infant mental health is a subfield of psychology, which has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years. Although many psychologists, such as Ainsworth and Piaget, have been concerned with some form of Infant mentality, this subfield did not have a name until the 70s. In the 1970s, the term “infant mental health” was coined by Selma Fraiberg as she and her colleagues were studying how generational traumas affect infants (Simpson 2016). However, Infant mental health has come a long way since the 1970s. Currently, this term refers to the cognitive capabilities, physical development, and social manner in which infants learn the tasks of early childhood, such as emotion and social norms (Osofsky, 2017).

Infant mental health recognizes the fragility of a baby’s mind, and therefor advocates for nurturing environments free of harmful disruptions within the infant-family systems. The main goal of this field is to support relationships between infants and their caregivers, and to ensure healthy emotional, social, and physical development.

Why is Infant Mental Health Necessary?

The plasticity of an infant’s brain makes babies much more malleable, in terms of cognitive and social development. Understanding this means understanding that the first years of life are crucial to a person’s overall development later on in life. Evidence shows that an infant’s brain is much more susceptible to environmental stress at a younger age, meaning that what a baby experiences within the first years of life will affect them throughout every other stage of development (Clinton, Feller, Williams, 2016).

In fact, the Adverse Childhood Experiences study shows that stressful and traumatic events in childhood and infancy are correlated with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and even cardiovascular diseases later in life (Clinton, Feller, Williams, 2016). Children raised in environments where they are not able to form secure attachments to their caregivers fare worse later in life than children who are securely attached. Children with insecure caregiver attachments can go on to have poorer academic success, poorer self-esteem, and higher substance abuse issues (Cook, 2014).

The research is overwhelming in showing that early child care is essential to a person’s overall well-being later in life. That is where Infant Mental Health comes in. Infant mental health aims to stop many of these problems before they even begin. By focusing on infant-caregiver relationships, this field aims to eradicate any possible negative outcome that could harm the infant’s development and later quality of life.

How do professionals implement infant mental health in communities?

The implementation of Infant mental health practices varies from professional intervention to daily caregiver actions. Professional intervention can happen in the form of psychological and pediatric care. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 14 routine screenings to be given by Primary Care Pediatricians before the age of 3. These screenings check for common infant mental health disruptions, such as language abnormalities, sleep disturbances, and feeding disturbances (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014). In these screenings, Pediatricians should also focus on the caregiver, and offer them an opportunity to identify their own needs and struggles.

In psychological interventions, the focus is not necessarily just on the infant or the parents, but it is rather on the family system as a whole. Psychological intervention happens in three different steps; promotion, prevention, and intervention. Promotion programs, such as family resource centers engage parents and teach about infant mental health. Prevention programs, such as Healthy Start, teach parents proper parenting practices, as well as offer a wide variety of other resources and systems of support. Lastly, intervention programs focus on changing the family dynamic for the better. Also just as there is a DSM, there is a DC. The DC 0-3, or Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood was published in 1994. This was developed not to diagnose and label young children with mental disorders, but rather to classify disorders in a way that makes early intervention easy and possible (Zero to Three, 2018). Aside from professional intervention, caregivers aid in infant mental health every day. By promoting healthy, secure attachments, these caregivers are setting infants up for a healthy, happy life. In order to ensure secure attachments, caregivers must show sensitive responsiveness, during which they warmly and quickly respond to the baby’s needs.

What evidence supports the implementation of infant mental health?

There is a variety of evidence to support the implementation of infant mental health. Studies show that children with poor mental health fare worse later in life. Infants that grow up in environments where their mental health is not cared for grow up to have higher rates of anxiety and depression, and poorer academic and social standings (Champagne, 2010). Infant Mental Health services provide support and intervention for family systems in which certain circumstances threaten the caregiver-infant attachment and the following developmental outcomes. These services reduce the prevalence of abuse, neglect, behavioral disorders, and emotional disorders (Lutke, 2018). Infant Mental Health services provided by programs such as Healthy Start resulted in higher immunization rates, lower mortality rates, and higher rates of prenatal care. This is an essential field of psychology, as it is one of the earliest forms of ensuring healthy, happy minds.

My Conclusion

In my opinion, Infant mental health is vital to ensuring happy lives for future generations. I believe that there should be a greater focus on preventative care rather than curative care. Infant Mental Health program outcomes show that there is a benefit to engaging in infant mental health, and to me it seems like common sense. Babies have feelings, and emotions, and wants, and needs. If we respect our children, we must respect them as being capable of such. We, as a society, have seen a shift in parenting styles in recent years. In past decades, authoritarian style parenting was the default. Children were spanked, and babies were trained to cry themselves to sleep. However, in recent years, parenting has become more of a collaborative effort between the parent and child. In my opinion, this shows that we as a society have started to value and respect children more. Infant Mental Health practices are just a preventative way of showing our children that we do value them. By putting infant’s mental standing first, we ensure that the next generation has the happiest possible start to life.

References

Champagne, F.A. (2010). Early Adversity and Developmental Outcomes. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 564-574.

Cook, G. & Cook, J.L. (2014). The world of children (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. ISBN: 9780205940141

Clinton, J., Feller, A., & Williams, R. (2016). The importance of infant mental health. Paediatrics & Child Health, 21(5), 239–241.

Fitzgerald, H.E., Barton, L.R (2000). History of infant mental health: Origins and emergence of an interdisciplinary field. WAIMH Handbook of infant mental health. Vol. 1.

Ludtke, M. (2018). Infant Mental Health. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-71550_2941_4868_7145-14659--,00.html

Ordway, M., McMahon, T., Kuhn, L., Suchma, N. (2018). Implementation of an Evidenced-Based Parenting Program in a Community Mental Health Setting. Infant Mental Health Journal, 39(1), 92-105.

Simpson, T. E., Condon, E., Price, R. M., Finch, B. K., Sadler, L. S., & Ordway, M. R. (2016). Demystifying Infant Mental Health: What the Primary Care Provider Needs to Know. Journal of Pediatric Health Care : Official Publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners, 30(1), 38–48. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2015.09.011

Skovgaard, A.M. (2010). Mental health problems and psychopathology in infancy and early childhood, an epidemiological study. Dan Med Bull. 57(10): B4193

The Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions, (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthystartflorida.com/programs-initiatives/healthy-start/

Thompson, R.A. (2014). Stress and Child Development. Future Child. 24(1): 41-59.

Zero to Three. (2018). Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood. National Center for Clinical Infant Programs.