Infant-mother attachment and nutrition in children with cystic fibrosis.
The association between nutritional status (percentage of weight for height) and infant-mother relationship was studied over 4 years in 38 children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in the first year of life. Infant-mother relationship was assessed in a standardized laboratory observation. Although they could not be distinguished medically from the others at the time of diagnosis, infants showing a specific form of insecure relationship with their mothers (insecure-avoidant) differed from the others in: (1) failure to improve in nutritional status in the first year; (2) continuing decline in weight for height in the first 3 years; and (3) significantly lower weight for height at 1, 2, and 3 years of age. These data suggest that attention to mother-infant relationships, particularly feeding interactions, may improve nutritional status in children with cystic fibrosis.
Simmons
R J
RJ
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Goldberg
S
S
Washington
J
J
Fischer-Fay
A
A
Maclusky
I
I
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005183:Failure to Thrive / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009769:Object Attachment; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011446:Prospective Studies