title: Emotional reactions of mothers facing premature births: study of 100 mother-infant dyads 32 gestational weeks.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This current study has been conducted to clarify the relationship between the mother's post-traumatic reaction triggered by premature birth and the mother-infant interactions. In this article, the precocious maternal feelings are described.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicenter prospective study was performed in three French hospitals. 100 dyads with 100 very premature infants and their mothers were recruited. Mothers completed, at two different times self-questionnaires of depression/anxiety, trauma and social support. The quality of interactions in the dyads was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine percent of the mothers obtained a score at HADS suggesting a high risk of depression at the first visit and approximately one-third at visit two. Seventy-five percent of the mothers were at risk of suffering from an anxiety disorder at visit one and half remained so at visit two. A "depressed" score at visits one and two correlated with a hospitalization for a threatened premature labor. We noted a high risk of trauma for 35% of the mothers and high interactional synchrony was observed for approximately two-thirds of the dyads. The mothers' psychological reactions such as depression and anxiety or postnatal depression correlate strongly with the presence of an initial trauma. At visit one and visit two, a high score of satisfaction concerning social support correlates negatively with presence of a trauma. A maternal risk of trauma is more frequent with a C-section delivery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mothers' psychological reactions such as depression and anxiety correlate greatly with the presence of an initial trauma. The maternal traumatic reaction linked to premature birth does not correlate with the term at birth, but rather with the weight of the baby. Social support perceived by the mother is correlated with the absence of maternal trauma before returning home, and also seems to inhibit from depressive symptoms from the time of the infant's premature birth.
authors.affiliation: CHU Reims, Hôpital Robert Debré, Structure interne de Psychothérapie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Reims, F-51092, France.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eutrope
authors.affiliation: CHU Reims, Hôptal Robert Debré, Unité d'aide méthodologique, REIMS, F-51092, France.
authors.forename: Aurore
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thierry
authors.affiliation: CHU Reims, Hôpital Robert Debré, Structure interne de Psychothérapie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Reims, F-51092, France.
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lempp
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Action Médico-Sociale Précoce, Reims, F-51100, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aupetit
authors.affiliation: CHU Nancy, Centre psychothérapique de Nancy, Service de pédopsychiatrie, Laxou, F-54521, France.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.affiliation: CHU de Besançon, Hôpital Saint Jacques, Service de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, Besancon, F-25030, France.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dodane
authors.affiliation: CHU de Reims, Hôpital Maison Blanche, Structure Interne de Pédiatrie B, Reims, F-51092, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bednarek
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Action Médico-Sociale Précoce, Reims, F-51100, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Mare
authors.affiliation: CHU Nancy, Centre psychothérapique de Nancy, Service de pédopsychiatrie, Laxou, F-54521, France.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sibertin-Blanc
authors.affiliation: CHU de Besançon, Hôpital Saint Jacques, Service de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, Besancon, F-25030, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nezelof
authors.affiliation: CHU Reims, Hôpital Robert Debré, Structure interne de Psychothérapie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Reims, F-51092, France.
authors.forename: Anne-Catherine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Rolland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D001724:Birth Weight; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies