Effect of mother's touch in infancy on aggressive behavior in the future

Abstract

We investigated the effect of the mother's touch during infancy on future aggressiveness. Participants in Study 1 were 67, Grade 5 elementary school students (34 boys and 33 girls) and their mothers. The students assessed their personalities and their mothers assessed how much they touched their children when they were infants. The result indicated that children's aggressiveness (particularly in girls) was positively correlated with the amount of touch received from their mothers. In Study 2, participants were 143 high school girls and their mothers. Participants assessed their aggressiveness (verbal aggression and irritability) and their mothers assessed how much they touched their children when they were infants. The result indicated that student's aggressiveness was positively correlated with the amount of physical touch received from their mothers in their infancy. The reasons and practical implications of this research are discussed.