Maternal Touch Is Positively Correlated with Help-Seeking in Preschool-Aged Children with Lower Stress Reactivity

We examined relations between positive maternal touch, child stress reactivity, and help-seeking. Maternal positive touch was associated with child help-seeking, but only for children low in reactivity. This finding aligns with a vantage sensitivity model in that low reactive children are more susceptible to the beneficial effects of maternal touch.