title: Crying and behavioral characteristics in premature infants.
abstract: The aims of this study were to analyze 1) whether there was the relationship between the neonatal behavioral characteristics and amount of crying in premature infants at term age, and 2) what kind of difference between infants with high levels of crying and cry less on neonatal behavioral characteristics using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). The study participants consisted of 69 healthy low birth-weight infants who were admitted to the NICU at the Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan. This study analyzed the relationship between NBAS scores measured neonatal behavioral performance and crying at term age. This study results indicate that there was significant statistical negative correlation between the amount of total daily crying and Habituation, Range of state, Regulation of state, and Autonomic stability cluster scores and some individual items scores (Response decrement to light, Response decrement to tactile of foot, Alert responsiveness, Examiner persistence, Motor maturity, Irritability, General irritability, Cuddliness, Consolability, Self-quieting activity, and State regulation). The high levels crying group also showed higher responsivity than less crying group in the items of Peak of excitement, Rapidity of build-up, Irritability and General irritability. In conclusion, neonatal behavioral characteristics such as poor inhibit discrete stimuli while asleep, hyper-responsivity and poor state regulation abilities were risk factors of high levels of crying.
authors: Department of Physical Therapy, Undergraduate School of Health Sciences, Bukkyo University, Kyoto 603-8301, Japan.
authors: Ryuichi
authors: R
authors: Kusaka
authors: School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Seirei Christopher University, Shizuoka 433-8558, Japan.
authors: Shohei
authors: S
authors: Ohgi
authors: Department of Rehabilitation, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan.
authors: Kenta
authors: K
authors: Shigemori
authors: Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda 390-8621, Japan.
authors: Tetsuya
authors: T
authors: Fujimoto
keywords: behavioral characteristics; crying; premature infants