Temperament and prematurity: influences on mother-infant interaction

Abstract

This study aims to: 1) evaluate and compare the influence of infant temperament and prematurity on mother-infant interaction; 2) describe the infants' temperament at three and four months old; 3) describe the behavior of mother-infant interaction; 4) compare the mother-infant interaction between clinical and non-clinical temperament groups; and 5) compare the mother-infant interaction among infants born to term and preterm at three and four months of corrected gestational age, also considering their chronological ages. About 40 to 60 mother-infant dyads, including preterm and term infants, are going to take part in this study. Infants studies are going to be three to four months of chronological age (term infants) and preterm infants are going to be three to four months of corrected gestational age (who can reach six months of chronological age). Babies are going to be identified by their medical records of a university extension project that evaluates the infants' development over a year, and also by Sorri-Bauru. The infants' temperament are going to be assessed by the infant temperament scale, answered by their mothers. The mother-infant interaction is going to be registered using face-to-face still-face experimental paradigm. In order to assess the infant's behavior, coding and analysis system of the infants' behavior expressed in the still-face paradigm is going to be used. The maternal behavior is going to be categorized considering the Child-Adult Relationship Experimental Index (CARE-Index). Data gathered in the study is going to be submitted to further statistical analyses.The results are going to be helped understanding the variables that affect the mother-infant interaction, enabling timely interventions if necessary in order to reduce its impact. (AU)