Little is known about the relationship between maternal affectivity, social withdrawal and temperament in infants in low-income countries. The goal of the study was to assess the prevalence of social withdrawal behavior in infants aged 8 ± 2.3 months and to explore associations between maternal affectivity during pregnancy and postpartum, infant social withdrawal (as a sign of stress) and ‘difficult’ temperament as assessed by the mothers. 458 mother–infant dyads were recruited in the city’s public mother and child health-care centers. The eight items of the Alarm Distress Baby scale (8-ADBB) and the five-item M (modified) ADBB (M-ADBB) were used to assess sustained withdrawal behavior (ISSWB). The Goldberg Depression and Anxiety Scales were used to assess maternal affectivity and mental well-being. A specially designed questionnaire was used to identify stressful events faced by the mother during pregnancy. The ELDEQ-QCB was used to assess the degree of difficulty in managing the baby. Using the M-ADBB, we found a striking figure of 69.2% for ISSWB with 8-ABB (range 0–29) and 72.7% with the M-ADBB (range 0–10). ISSWB was linked to negative maternal affectivity and to high incidence of stressful events for the mothers, and to the child being viewed as ‘difficult’ by the mother. Positive prenatal affectivity was a protective factor of ISSWB (OR 0.46). Results are compared with previous studies in Africa. Early screening for ISSWB and identification of factors affecting maternal mental well-being could help in early intervention and increase the chances of better child development.

人们对低收入国家母亲情感、社交退缩和婴儿气质之间的关系知之甚少。该研究的目的是评估 8 ± 2.3 个月婴儿社交退缩行为的患病率，并探讨怀孕期间和产后母亲的情感、婴儿社交退缩（作为压力的标志）和评估的“困难”气质之间的关系由母亲们。在该市公立母婴保健中心招募了 458 名母婴情侣。使用警报困扰婴儿量表（8-ADBB）的八个项目和M（改良）ADBB（M-ADBB）的五个项目来评估持续退缩行为（ISSWB）。戈德堡抑郁和焦虑量表用于评估母亲的情感和心理健康。使用专门设计的问卷来识别母亲在怀孕期间面临的压力事件。 ELDEQ-QCB用于评估管理婴儿的困难程度。使用 M-ADBB，我们发现 8-ABB（范围 0-29）的 ISSWB 的成功率为 69.2%，M-ADBB（范围 0-10）的 ISSWB 为 72.7%。 ISSWB 与母亲的负面情感、母亲压力事件的高发生率以及孩子被母亲视为“难相处”有关。积极的产前情感是 ISSWB 的保护因素（OR 0.46）。结果与之前在非洲的研究进行了比较。早期筛查 ISSWB 和识别影响母亲心理健康的因素有助于早期干预并增加儿童更好发展的机会。