Journal
EARLY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Volume 84, Issue 4, Pages 257-267Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.06.006
Keywords
preterm; holding; mother-infant interaction; infant's crying
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between infant crying, holding and mother-infant interaction. Methods: The study groups included 30 firstborn Finnish preterm infants (<1501 g or <32 weeks), and their 36 full-term controls. Caregiver's holding and infant's crying behavior was assessed using Baby Day Diary at 5 months of corrected age. The quality of mother-infant interaction was assessed using PC-ERA at 6 and 12 months of corrected age. Results: The results showed that longer duration of holding in home environment was associated with better quality of mother-infant interaction at 6 and 12 months of corrected age in preterm infants. Preterm infants cried more often and were held more than full-term infants. The frequency of crying was associated with the duration of holding in preterm infants. Mother-infant interaction was comparable between the groups of preterm and full-term infants. Conclusions: Our results underline the importance of caregiver's physical closeness for the quality of the mother-infant interaction in preterm infants. Prematurity itself does not necessary affect the quality of mother-infants interaction in a non-risk population. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available