The present study investigated the maternal responsiveness in the third month of infant´s life in single mothers’ families and nuclear families. Twenty one mother-infant dyads participated in the study seven of which were single mothers and fourteen were married mothers. A free interaction session between mother and infant was observed for evaluation of maternal responsiveness. Twenty-one responsive sequences and three non-responsive sequences involving infant´s smile, vocalizations and cry were examined. Mann-Whitney test revealed significant differences between the two groups in the responsive and non-responsive sequences, indicating that single mothers were less responsive than the married mothers, especially regarding infant´s vocalization and cry. The results give support to part of the literature that indicates that single mothers can suffer larger stress when they need to supply alone the infant´s demands, mainly during his/her first year of life, which can have implications for the dyadic relationship.
maternal responsiveness; mother-infant interaction; single mothers
