title: [Mother-infant Interactions with Very Low Birth Weight multiple newborns (< 1500 g). A comparison of mother-multiple and mother-single births].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assisted reproductive techniques and fertility enhancing therapies have increased the rate of multiple births and, therefore, the risk of prematurity. Our hypothesis is that mothers of preterm multiples are less able to provide such enhancing interactions than mothers of preterm singletons, resulting in a developmental disadvantage for preterm twins and triplets.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 77 very low birth weight preterms (VLBW) who were examined prospectively with their mothers in a longitudinal study, 35 were multiples and 42 were singletons. At a corrected age of three months the quality of the mother-infant interaction with multiples vs. singletons was examined. The Mannheim Rating System, a 40-item standardized observation instrument based on a 10 minute videotaped sequence of interaction, was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analyses showed several differences between mother-singleton and mother-multiple interactions. Mothers of multiples were less stimulating and reactive and showed less babytalk. Multiple infants were also less reactive than singletons. In mother-multiple dyads there were less verbal exchanges between mother and child.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are definite differences in mother-multiple compared to mother-singleton interactions, so that VLBW multiples may be at even greater risk for negative mother-infant interactions than singletons.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, Frauenklinik der Universität zu Köln. droedder@web.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rödder
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ganseforth
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pillekamp
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kribs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Gontard
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schleiffer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000523:psychology*; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009099:Multiple Birth Offspring / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple / Q000523:psychology*