Parental touch reduces social vigilance in children.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Brummelman E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6968960 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Parental touch reduces social vigilance in children.
Brummelman Eddie E Terburg David D Smit Miranda M Bögels Susan M SM Bos Peter A PA
Developmental cognitive neuroscience 20180509
The sense of touch develops in utero and enables parent-child communication from the earliest moments of life. Research shows that parental touch (e.g., licking and grooming in rats, skin-to-skin care in humans) has organizing effects on the offspring's stress system. Little is known, however, about the psychological effects of parental touch. Building on findings from ethology and psychology, we propose that parental touch-even as subtle as a touch on the shoulder-tells children that their envi ...[more]
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