Landi G., Facondini F., Cena L., Minghetti M., Landini A., Crittenden P., Baldoni F.(2012) Attachment forerunners in mothers of preterm babies, Third Biennial Conference , IASA, University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, September 14-16, 2012
Year: 2012
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: When the birth of a baby occurs before the due date, there is not only a preterm baby admitted to \nthe Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at risk of survival, but also a mother and a father with a \npreterm baby. To study the characteristics of the early bond between the mother and the preterm \nbaby, a sample of 110 mother-child dyads, 55 with preterm babies (birth weight < 1500 g), and \n55 with full-term babies were assessed from the first 6 months of corrected age. All dyads were \nsubjected to CARE-Index, a video-recorded procedure of mother-child interaction assessing parental \nsensitivity and attachment forerunners. Mothers were also subjected to CES-D, for the assessment of \ndepression, and STAI Y-2, for the assessment of trait anxiety. The child’s psychomotor development \nwas assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID III). Mothers of preterm children, \ncompared to controls, evinced higher levels of anxiety (p < .05), lower scores on dyadic sensitivity as \nassessed by the CARE-Index (p < .05) (40% fell into the high risk category requiring psychological \nand/or pharmacological treatment), and expressed more frequently insecure attachment forerunners \n(p < .01). In turn, preterm babies, compared to controls, showed insecure attachment forerunners \nat 3 months of corrected age (p < .05) and lower psychomotor development scores at 6 months of \ncorrected age (p < .01). Risk factors for mothers of preterm babies were conflicted relationships with \ntheir families of origin and a strong fear for the death of the baby. The results underline the need for \nlongitudinal studies conducted on large samples assessing the Internal Working Models of parents \nwith preterm babies. This would clarify whether the particular behavior observed in the mothers of \npreterm children is transient and adaptive or a stable pattern influencing negatively the child-mother \ninteraction in the future.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2736933896