Parenting and Infant Mental Health in South America

A brief history of the Infant Mental Health field in Argentina and Uruguay is described together with research projects that propose bridges between psychoanalysis, infant research, and infant mental health. The Argentinian program relates maternal reflective function with interactive variables (observed in videotaped interactions) such as dyadic affective regulation and infant-self regulation, dysregulation signs in preschool mother-child interactive play, parental interactive styles, and emotional availability. The Uruguayan project assesses the emotional state and mothering of women who live with their children in prison. Research outcomes and a proposal of a storybook and a guide as tools for interventions are presented.