Infant carrying to enhance parental reflective functioning in early childhood: a model of direct and indirect pathways in a sample of adolescent mothers

Research on infant carrying/babywearing is limited but suggests that frequent close physical contact increases maternal sensitivity and responsiveness. It is unknown whether infant carrying promotes parental reflective functioning (PRF). In this prospective investigation, adolescent mothers (N=75; M_age=19.45; 57.4% non-white) in a multi-wave infant carrying intervention trial were followed from early postpartum to preschool to assess long-term impacts of infant carrying on the development of PRF. Participation in the infant carrying intervention (β=0.33, p=0.03) and maternal representation of infant carrying as supporting infant wellbeing (β=0.36, p<0.01) predicted higher PRF when children were 3.5 years old. There was a significant indirect effect from maternal representation of infant carrying as a bonding tool to enhanced PRF during the preschool period via maternal attunement at seven months (β=0.26, p=0.04). Participating in an infant carrying intervention and child-focused representations of infant carrying may support mentalizing among adolescent mothers via distinct direct and indirect pathways.