Four out of 10 infants born in the United States do not form a strong bond with either parent, and they will pay for that the rest of their lives, a new study has found.
Research from Princeton University has shown the number of babies born into families that are poorly equipped to give them a fair chance at having a successful life is alarmingly high.
Additionally, a study from the University of Rochester showing that nearly one-third of U.S. parents don't know what to expect from their newborns, or how to help them grow and learn and get along with others.
The main problem, according to the Princeton study, is 40 percent of infants in the U.S. 'live in fear or distrust of their parents', and that will translate into aggressiveness, defiance and hyperactivity as they grow into adults.
It's bonding time: A new study says not enough parents are properly bonding with their babies, which creates greater problems later in life. However researchers say basic bonding is simple
Of that number, 25 percent don't bond with their parents because the parents aren't responding to their needs.
Some 15 percent find their parents so distressing that they will avoid them whenever possible.
'They can overcome it,' sociologist Sophie Moullin of Princeton, lead author of that study, told ABC News.
'It's not a make or break situation, but they might find it harder to regulate their behavior.'
Moullin, along with coauthors from Columbia University and the University of Bristol in England, analyzed more than 100 research projects, including data collected by a U.S. longitudinal study of 14,000 children born in 2001, to reach their conclusions.
While many factors contribute to the problem - including poverty, ignorance, and stress - critical bonding is simple to achieve, researchers say.
'When a parent, most of the time, responds to a child in a warm, sensitive and responsive way - picking up the child when they cry, and holding and reassuring them - the child feels secure that they can meet their needs,' the study notes.
Other research shows that simply touching, or caressing, a newborn is critical to the infant's sense of security.
The study also says that the bond can be with either parent, not necessarily both, but studies of childhood crime and risky behavior contend that for boys, the bond is more important with the father, and for girls, the bond is relatively more important with the mother.
Mother's touch: Researcher's say that little things like sensitivity when picking up a crying child and even a soft touch makes the child feel secure
Nearly all of these studies are based on observation of children over an extended period of time.
Researchers usually pay more attention to the child than the parent, because the lack of a bond is more apparent in the infant.
One innovative technique is called the 'strange situation'.
The parent leaves the baby with a caregiver for about 20 minutes, and then either the parent or a stranger reenters the room.
The reaction to the returning parent, compared to the arrival of a stranger, tells volumes about the relationship between parent and child.
If a failed relationship is detected, especially when the infant is six months old or younger, the chances of helping the parent and the child form a strong bond is greatly improved, the study notes.
The fact that damage can begin that young should be sobering to parents.
However, often the parents most in need of help are the least likely to seek it.
Moullin said researchers in one study had observed 2-year-olds over several months and were able to predict which ones would have the most trouble years later in school, based on the child's level of poverty.
The bond can be with either parent, but studies of childhood crime and risky behavior contend that the bond is more important with the father for boys, and for girls, the bond is relatively more important with the mother
Usually, it's the mother who is the central focus of studies like these, probably because the mom is the main caregiver, especially in the early years.
But a study at the University of Iowa two years ago concluded that 'being attached to dad is just as helpful as being close to mom'.
That is critical during the first two years of life.
A similar study in 2012 from the Imperial College London found that fathers were especially important in helping the infant avoid behavioral problems later in life.
If the father is remote or distracted, the child is more likely to be aggressive.
This is a problem that is not going to go away, and some percentage of parents will never be able to do a decent job because of a wide variety of reasons.
But what all these studies show is the importance of those first few months of life, when a tiny baby is sent on a trajectory that will partly determine success at something as simple - and as critical - as getting along with others.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2598497/FOUR-10-babies-not-form-strong-bond-parents-affects-life.html#ixzz2yDtolGSc
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