title: Frequency of Premature Infant Engagement and Disengagement Behaviors During Two Maternally Administered Interventions.
abstract: Although sensitive maternal behaviors improve later quality of mother-infant interaction and subsequently infant development, little is known regarding how an intervention might promote early premature infant social interactive behavior. This study compared the frequency of premature infant engagement and disengagement behaviors during two maternally administered interventions, the multi-sensory auditory, tactile, visual and vestibular intervention (ATVV) and kangaroo care (KC) for 26 infants between 31 and 46 weeks PMA. The ATVV intervention elicited more disengagement (M = 24 vs. 12, p = .0003), trended toward more engagement (M = 21 vs. 15.7, p = .06) and more potent engagement (M = 24 vs. 12, p = .0003), subtle disengagement (M = 25 vs. 11.9, p < .0001), and potent disengagement (M = 22.9 vs. 14, p = . 006) behaviors than did KC. The ATVV intervention may be an intervention to promote the infant's learning how to regulate engagement and disengagement behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Rosemary White-Traut, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, Department Head of Women, Children, and Family Health Science, 845 South Damen Avenue (M/C 802), Chicago, IL 60612-7350.
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: White-Traut
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wink
authors.forename: Tali
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minehart
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holditch-Davis