| Abstract | Dyadic synchrony is the degree of coordination of behavior or states of partners in social interaction. Synchrony between parents and their infants is thought to be important for the development of self-regulatory abilities. The purpose of the current study was to examine factors associated with parent-infant synchrony when infants were 6-9 months old and outcomes of parent-infant dyadic synchrony when the child was 3 years of age. Facial affect synchrony and physiological synchrony of mothers and fathers with their infants was compared during the free play (FP) and reunion (RE) episodes of the Still Face Procedure (SFP). Depressive symptoms, relationship satisfaction, father involvement, and fathering attitudes were examined as potential predictors of parent-infant synchrony. Additionally, dyadic synchrony and father-specific factors were examined as potential predictors of later child emotion regulation. Results indicated that mothers and fathers were equally synchronous with infants in facial affect synchrony, but some differences were found for physiological synchrony. Fathering attitudes predicted father-infant facial affect synchrony during the relatively stressful RE episode of the SFP. No significant predictors of later child emotion regulation were identified. Further research is necessary to clarify mixed findings about predictors and outcomes of synchrony from this and other studies. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed. |
