Presence at a distance: Video chat supports intergenerational sensitivity and positive infant affect during COVID-19
COVID-19 disrupted infant contact with people beyond the immediate family. Because grandparents faced higher COVID-19 risks due to age, many used video chat instead of interacting with their infant grandchildren in person. We conducted a semi-naturalistic, longitudinal study with 48 families, each of whom submitted a series of video chats and surveys, and most (n = 40) also submitted a video of an in-person interaction. Families were mostly highly-educated, White/Caucasian, and lived between 1 and 2700 miles apart. We used multilevel models to examine grandparents’ and parents’ sensitivity during video chat across time (centered at February 1, 2021, the approximate date of vaccine availability). Grandparent video chat sensitivity changed as a function of date and parent sensitivity. Parent sensitivity changed as a function of date, grandparent sensitivity, and geographic distance. We then modeled infants' affective valence during video chat and in-person interactions with their grandparents, which was only predicted by grandparent sensitivity, not modality or other factors. This study demonstrates that caregivers were sensitive toward infants during video chat interactions despite fluctuations in family stress and reduced in-person contact during COVID-19 and that grandparent sensitivity predicted positive infant affect during both video chat and in-person interactions.
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Presence at a distance: Video chat supports intergenerational sensitivity and positive infant affect during COVID‐19. Infancy 27, 6 p1008-1031 (2022)], which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12491. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions: https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/licensing/self-archiving.html#3.
Files
Metadata
Work Title | Presence at a distance: Video chat supports intergenerational sensitivity and positive infant affect during COVID-19 |
---|---|
Access | |
Creators |
|
Keyword |
|
License | In Copyright (Rights Reserved) |
Work Type | Article |
Publisher |
|
Publication Date | August 6, 2022 |
Publisher Identifier (DOI) |
|
Deposited | December 17, 2023 |
Versions
Analytics
Collections
This resource is currently not in any collection.