Father-infant interaction, child development and preterm birth: investigations at three months of the child's life.

Abstract

Fatherhood constitutes a new social role for men, marked by adaptations, changes and transformations in their lives. Paternal involvement and care, in addition to meeting the infant's needs, contribute significantly to his development and the father's well-being, in addition to strengthening the father-infant bond. However, the infant's prematurity can be a variable that influences children's interactions and development, requiring investigations to understand its impact. The present study aims to describe and compare the father-infant interaction of children born preterm at three months, and to relate paternal and infant behaviors with child development. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional and observational study, with analysis of videos from two databases. 10 parents and their three-month preterm infants will participate, divided into two groups, Group 1: 5 parents and very premature infants; Group 2: 5 parents and moderately premature infants. Father-infant interaction data will be accessed, corresponding to a film with five minutes of free interaction between the dyad, and child development data assessed by the Bayley Child Development Assessment Scale 3rd Edition. The Protocol for coding maternal/paternal and infant interactive behaviors - Interadíade will be used to analyze father-infant interaction. Comparisons and correlations will be made between father-infant interaction and child development in both groups. It is expected that the results will contribute to the identification of paternal behaviors that can be promoted in interventions focused on early childhood.