A LONGITUDINAL COMPARISON OF IRRITABLE AND NONIRRITABLE INFANTS

Infantile colic is characterized by persistent crying, diminished soot hability, and excessive activity or restlessness. The purpose of this study was to explore the processes underlying the persistent, recurren t irritability by investigating behavioral and interactional differenc es in irritable and nonirritable infants. In this two-group longitudin al study, 40 infants and their mothers were followed over the first 4 months of life. Statistically significant differences between the two groups were found, with the irritable infants demonstrating an increas e in the amount and intensity of crying, more disruption in sleep-wake states, and less synchrony in mother-infant interaction.