Theoretical, Clinical and Ethical Challenges for Infant Mental Health in Our Changing and Turmoiled World

Changes taking place at the scientific, environmental, and societal levels have direct and indirect effects on the infant’s neurobiological and behavioral development, parenting practices, and family dynamics. Such changes include digitalization, artificial Intelligence, and robotics and their influence on parenting and child development. Advancements in technology that enable disconnecting procreation from sexual relationships and intimacy, and expansive definitions of family and parenthood challenge current theory, training and practice in infant mental health. Procreation without the need for a natural womb may open a new definition of women’s identity as it broadens it beyond the maternal role. Of course, these processes may vary across continents and cultures. At the macro level, the recent COVID pandemic, extreme climate changes, natural disasters, wars, and displacements have engendered a general feeling of fragility that impacts all human life. In the light of all these changes, one may wonder what is and what should be our roles as IMH clinicians in this complex social, environmental, and technological morass of change. This chapter emphasizes the need to have a code of ethics to regulate these complex processes and calls for the creation of a WAIMH Code of Ethics, based on the combination of the WAIMH Position Paper on the Rights of Infants; the Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children, and Families; and the Code of Ethics now required for Endorsement in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health by the Alliance for the Advancement for Infant Mental Health. Together, these recent statements serve to establish the importance of ethical practices related to justice and care within the context of infant mental health.