WAIMH Handbook of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Biopsychosocial Factors: Volume One

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2-20-2024

Publication Title

WAIMH Handbook of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Biopsychosocial Factors: Volume One

Abstract

This section of the WAIMH Handbook of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health focuses on Parenting and Caregiving, a topic that is crucial for infant and early childhood development. As Donald Winnicott shared many years ago, “there is no such thing as a baby… a baby cannot exist alone but is essentially part of a relationship” (“Handling” retrieved November 15, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com). The quality of parenting that a child receives is one of the most important factors influencing development (Collins et al., 2000). In this section, a range of issues for parenting and caregiving are described beginning with the importance of the attachment relationship and ways to understand and enhance child and parent/caregiver interactions. Chapters also consider risk factors for the early relationship that influence infant development and the growing relationship including disorganized attachment, exposure to trauma, substance use, adolescent parenting, and other factors. Importantly, this section on parenting and caregiving includes fathering as well as mothering, a cross-cultural consideration of co-parenting and intergenerational parenting, and parents of diverse gender identities. We also learn about the importance of integrating infant and early childhood mental health into pediatric practice and primary care reaching out to young children and parents or caregivers using a population health perspective and behavioral health prevention.

First Page

251

Last Page

254

Volume

1

Chapter Title

Parenting and Caregiving

ISBN

[9783031486272, 9783031486265]

Link to Full Text

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