The more a mother showers her infant child with warmth and affection, the less anxiety, hostility and general distress the child will ultimately grow up to harbor as an adult, new research indicates.

The finding is based on the tracking of 482 children from the age of 8 months all the way up to an average age of 34 years. The results suggest that maternal affection at a very young age can have a critical long-range impact on mental health and emotional coping skills.

Study author Joanna Maselko of Duke University and her colleagues report the observations in the July 27 online edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

All of the study participants were part of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project, which included people born in Providence The researchers first assessed the children at 8 months of age in terms of their developmental progress. In turn, the mothers were assessed for their reaction to their child's test results and how well they reacted to their child's exam "performance."

At the same time, the degree of maternal affection and attention displayed toward the children was also assessed, and rated ranging from "negative" to "extravagant" levels, the study authors explained in a news release from the journal's publisher.

Ten percent of the mothers were deemed to have offered their children very low levels of affection, while 85% had offered a so-called "normal" degree of warmth. Six percent showered their child with what the investigators determined was a very high amount of maternal affection.

Flash forward a few decades, and the children now adults were assessed for feelings of anxiety, hostility and general distress levels.