MAJOR INFLUENCES ON MATERNAL RESPONSIVENESS TO INFANTS

Thirty healthy, middle-class mothers were interviewed during their pos tpartum hospital stay to identify major influences on mothers' respons es to their infants. Sullivan's theorem of tenderness served as a guid e for exploring maternal responsiveness. Three major categories, infan t tenderness needs, maternal perception, and maternal needs, and their related properties, were described. Support persons were viewed as ve ry important. Mothers also believed that some infant needs were more i mportant than others. Finally, mothers felt that they were constantly faced with priorities, and that the emotional state of the mother and infant often influenced their interaction.