Maternal caretaking and play with full-term and premature infants.
The contribution of past psychological experiences of the mother and medical complications of the infant to differences in caretaking of pre- and full-term infants are examined. Twenty full- and 20 pre-term matched mother-infant dyads were studied during a feed and play 1, 2 and 3 months after the expected date of birth. Full-term infants were more active than pre-terms at 4 weeks only. Mother of pre-terms showed differences in their interactions at all times. Interactions were related to maternal experiences in full-term infants only. Degree of neonatal illness was correlated with behavioral disorganization of premature infants, leading to differences in caretaking style.
D000328:Adult; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009043:Motor Activity; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012306:Risk; D012890:Sleep