SYNOPSIS Objective. To experimentally test whether perceptions of cry stimuli and autonomic nervous system reactivity help to explain parenting self-efficacy (PSE). Design. First-time pregnant women (N = 151) completed a task during which they responded to infant cries. After each cry, they received performance feedback, which was manipulated to simulate an easy-to-soothe (80% success) and a difficult-to-soothe (20% success) infant. After responding to each infant, participants rated cry perception and PSE. Using continuous ambulatory recording, changes in heart rate, skin conductance level, pre-ejection period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were compared across conditions. Results. An increase in PSE followed the easy-to-soothe infant, whereas a decrease in PSE occurred after the difficult-to-soothe infant. These changes in PSE were not associated with autonomic reactivity during the task. Women with more negative perceptions of the cries had larger decreases in PSE during the task. Perceiving the difficult-to-soothe infant more negatively than the easy-to-soothe infant was related to larger decreases in PSE after the second series of cries. Conclusion. Negative cry perceptions were related to decreasing PSE. Negative perceptions of parenting duties may increase the saliency of parents’ successes and failures. These findings are relevant to further testing mechanisms of change in PSE as well as the design of interventions to augment PSE.

Unresolved loss/trauma in the context of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) has been theorised to result from dissociative processing of fear-related memories and ideas. To examine the plausibility of this model, this study tested hypothesised associations between unresolved loss/trauma and indicators of autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity. First-time pregnant women (N = 235) participated in the AAI while heart rate (interbeat interval; IBI) and indicators of parasympathetic reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) and sympathetic reactivity (pre-ejection period; PEP, skin conductance level; SCL) were recorded. Using multilevel modelling, ANS reactivity was examined in relation to topic (loss/trauma versus other questions); discussion of actual loss/trauma; classification of unresolved/disorganised; and unresolved responses during the interview. Responses to loss/trauma questions and discussion of loss were associated with respectively larger and smaller IBIs. There was no moderation by unresolved/disorganised status. Unresolved responses about loss were associated with smaller IBIs. Participants classified as unresolved/disorganised showed decreasing PEP and blunted SCL throughout the whole interview. The findings suggest that unresolved speech about loss co-occurs with physiological arousal, although the inconclusive findings regarding parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system responses fail to clearly support the role of fear.