title: Relations between maternal attachment representations and the quality of mother-infant interaction in preterm and full-term infants.
abstract: The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between maternal representations and the quality of mother-infant interaction in a group of preterm and full-term infants. The study groups consisted of 38 mothers and their preterm infants (</=1500g or<32 gestational weeks) and 45 mothers and their full-term infants. Maternal representations were assessed using the Working Model of Child Interview (WMCI) at 12 months of the infant's corrected age. The quality of mother-infant interaction was studied using the Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment (PCERA) method at 6 and 12 months of the infant's corrected age. The results showed that maternal representations are related to the quality of mother-infant interaction in a parallel manner in preterm and full-term infants and their mothers. Furthermore, distorted representations were more strongly related to a higher number of areas of concern in mother-infant interaction than other representation classifications. Our results underline the importance of combined assessment of the subjective experiences of the mother and the quality of mother-infant interaction in clinical follow-up. This is the first study to describe the relation between maternal attachment representations and the quality of mother-infant interaction involving preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku & University Hospital of Turku, Turku, Finland. riikka.korja@utu.fi
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Korja
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahlqvist-Björkroth
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Savonlahti
authors.forename: Suvi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stolt
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Haataja
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lapinleimu
authors.forename: Jorma
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piha
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011581:Psychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult