Maternal self-perceptions and reactions to infant crying among intrusive and withdrawn depressed mothers

This study compared intrusive (N = 15) and withdrawn (N = 10) mothers' rati ngs of their own interaction styles with their infants and the behaviors of videotaped models of intrusive and withdrawn mothers. Withdrawn mothers ra ted themselves as less withdrawn than the model withdrawn mother. Intrusive mothers viewed themselves as more intrusive than the model intrusive mothe r. Both groups viewed their own infants as more outgoing than the infants o f the model intrusive and withdrawn mothers. The withdrawn mothers reported feeling more distressed when they observed an infant (of an intrusive or w ithdrawn mother) crying, suggesting that they feel more empathy than the in trusive mothers.