TY - JOUR U1 - Wissenschaftlicher Artikel A1 - Firk, Christine A1 - Großheinrich, Nicola T1 - Infant carrying: Associations with parental reflective functioning, parental bonding and parental responses to infant crying JF - Infant Mental Health Journal N2 - Infant carrying may have beneficial effects on the parent-infant relationship but only limited research has been conducted in this area. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to investigate whether infant carrying is associated with parental reflective functioning, parental bonding, and parental (emotional) and behavioral responses to infant crying, key elements within the parent-infant relationship, promoting infant development. Parents reporting high levels (N = 389) of infant carrying (six times a week or daily) and parents reporting low levels (N = 128) of infant carrying (less than once a week or not at all) who participated in an online survey about the developing parent-infant relationship in Germany were included in the present study. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess parental reflective functioning, parental bonding impairments, and emotional responses to infant crying. Further insensitive (non responsive and hostile) behaviors in response to infant crying were assessed. Parents with high levels of infant carrying showed better parental reflective functioning, lower parental bonding problems, less negative emotions, and less insensitive behaviors in response to infant crying. KW - Infant carrying KW - Infant crying KW - Mentalizing KW - Parental bonding KW - Parental reflective functioning KW - Parent-infant relationship Y1 - 2024 UN - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0295-opus4-49824 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.22106 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.22106 VL - 45 IS - 3 SP - 263 EP - 275 S1 - 13 ER -