title: Maternal and paternal infant representations: a comparison between parents of term and preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research on parental attachment representations after preterm birth is limited and inconclusive. The present study is the first in which maternal and paternal attachment representations after term, moderately and very preterm birth are compared. In addition, special attention was directed toward disrupted attachment representations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mothers and fathers of term infants (≥ 37 weeks of gestational age, n=71), moderately preterm infants (≥ 32-37 weeks of gestational age, n=62) and very preterm infants (<32 weeks of gestational age, n=56) participated in the present study. Attachment representations (balanced, disengaged, distorted) about their infants were evaluated with the Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI). To asses disrupted representations the coding of the WMCI was extended with the disrupted scale (WMCI-D).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The three main classifications of attachment representations were not affected by preterm birth. In addition, there were no gender differences in the rate of balanced representations. In case of non-balanced representations however, maternal representations were more often distorted, whereas fathers showed more often disengaged representations. Results further revealed that maternal disrupted attachment representations were marked by role/boundary confusion or disorientation, whereas paternal disrupted attachment representations were characterized by withdrawal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the gender differences it is essential to tailor interventions according to the attachment representations of the parent, in order to be able to alter their non-balanced and/or disrupted attachment representations.
authors.affiliation: International Victimology Institute Tilburg, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. Electronic address: vip@uvt.nl.
authors.forename: Anneke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tooten
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ruby A S
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: International Victimology Institute Tilburg, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hannah N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Hoffenkamp
authors.affiliation: Research Methodology Group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braeken
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ad J J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
authors.affiliation: Department of Tranzo, Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Centre for Infant Mental Health, Dimence, Deventer, The Netherlands; Herlaarhof, Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vught, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hedwig J A
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: van Bakel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Attachment representations; Disrupted attachment representations; Fathers; Mothers; Preterm birth