Frequency of Premature Infant Engagement and Disengagement Behaviors During Two Maternally Administered Interventions

Although sensitive maternal behaviors improve later quality of mother-infant interaction and subsequently infant development, little is known regarding how an intervention might promote early premature infant social interactive behavior. This study compared the frequency of premature infant engagement and disengagement behaviors during two maternally administered interventions, the multisensory auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular intervention (ATVV) and kangaroo care for 26 infants between 31 and 46 weeks postmenstrual age. The ATVV intervention elicited more disengagement (M = 24 vs 12, P=.0003), trended toward more engagement (M = 21 vs 15.7, P=.06) and more potent engagement (M = 24 vs 12, P=.0003), subtle disengagement (M = 25 vs 11.9, P < .0001), and potent disengagement (M = 22.9 vs 14, P=.006) behaviors than did kangaroo care. The ATVV intervention may be an intervention to promote the infant's learning how to regulate engagement and disengagement behaviors.