Maternal emotional expressiveness measured in various ways has been associated with both positive and negative childhood outcomes. This relationship is believed to be influenced by the relationship between maternal emotional expressiveness and maternal behavior toward their children. This study examined the relation between prenatal maternal emotional expressiveness when discussing perceptions of pregnancy and their later behavior toward their infants. The interviews of 75 pregnant women discussing positive and negative aspects of their pregnancies were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. Mothers’ positive and negative behaviors and behavioral synchrony with their infants at 6 months of age were observed in the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). Results indicated that mothers who use more positive words and more affect words during prenatal interviews about their pregnancies displayed more positive affect but lesser synchrony when interacting with their infants at 6 months.
