Enhancing maternal interactive behavior and child social competence in low birth weight, premature infants.
Effects of a comprehensive early intervention program for low birth weight, premature infants--the Infant Health and Development Program--on mother-child interaction were examined at 30 months (N = 683). Small significant positive effects were found: Intervention mothers had higher ratings on quality of assistance; intervention children had higher ratings on persistence and enthusiasm and on an overall child rating of competence and involvement and lower ratings on percentage of time off-task; intervention dyads were rated as more synchronous. Of a set of initial status variables indexing biological and environmental risk, only 2 treatment interactions were found. Intervention group black children had higher ratings on enthusiasm and lower percentage of time off-task. Independent of treatment, maternal ethnicity and education were significant predictors of maternal and dyadic ratings, while ethnicity and birth weight predicted child ratings. Implications for early intervention and center-based care are discussed.
Spiker
D
D
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305-2135.
Ferguson
J
J
Brooks-Gunn
J
J
D000328:Adult; D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014743:Videotape Recording