A Scientometric Review of Infant Cry and Caregiver Responsiveness: Literature Trends and Research Gaps over 60 Years of Developmental Study

Infant cry is an adaptive signal of distress that elicits timely and mostly appropriate caring behaviors. Caregivers are typically able to decode the meaning of the cry and respond appropriately, but maladaptive caregiver responses are common and, in the worst cases, can lead to harmful events. To tackle the importance of studying cry patterns and caregivers' responses, this review aims to identify key documents and thematic trends in the literature as well as existing research gaps. To do so, we conducted a scientometric review of 723 documents downloaded from Scopus and performed a document co-citation analysis. The most impactful publication was authored by Barr in 1990, which describes typical developmental patterns of infant cry. Six major research thematic clusters emerged from the analysis of the literature. Clusters were renamed Neonatal Pain Analyzer (average year of publication = 2002), Abusive Head Trauma (average year of publication = 2007), Oxytocin (average year of publication = 2009), Antecedents of Maternal Sensitivity (average year of publication = 2010), Neurobiology of Parental Responses (average year of publication = 2011), and Hormonal Changes & Cry Responsiveness (average year of publication = 2016). Research clusters are discussed on the basis of a qualitative inspection of the manuscripts. Current trends in research focus on the neurobiology of caregiver responses and the identification of factors promoting maternal sensitivity. Recent studies have also developed evidence-based strategies for calming crying babies and preventing caregivers' maladaptive responses. From the clusters, two topics conspicuously call for future research: fathers' responsiveness to infant cry and the impact of caregiver relationship quality on cry responsiveness.

Automated summary

Infant cry is an adaptive signal of distress, and caregivers' ability to decode and respond to it appropriately is crucial. This study conducted a scientometric review to identify key documents and trends in the literature, revealing six major research clusters. Current research focuses on the neurobiology of caregiver responses and factors promoting maternal sensitivity, also developing strategies to calm crying babies and prevent maladaptive responses. Future research should explore fathers' responsiveness to infant cry and the impact of caregiver relationship quality on cry responsiveness.