Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Fathers make definite contributions to infant development and are now spending more time with their children than in many past decades. This article reviews the most compelling research on the developmental importance of fathers, including father–infant attachment and interaction, and differences between maternal and paternal interaction styles. Results of a long-term study of primary caregiving fathers also are presented.

Infants of mothers who remain depressed for 1 year after birth have a distinct profile of behavioral, physiologic, and biochemical dysregulation. Their mothers also have a distinct profile that can be used to target those in need of intervention. These interventions may include mood induction, massage therapy, interaction coaching, and natural buffers such as nondepressed fathers and caregivers.

Recent thinking about early emotional development in a context useful for pediatricians and other clinicians is reviewed in this chapter. Important functions of emotions are that they help define individuality, motivate approach or withdrawal from a situation, and communicate with caregivers. Emotional development in the first years of life may be seen as a series of predictable stepwise transitions when changes are pervasive and involve major reorientation for children and families.