Does the development of executive functioning in infants born preterm benefit from maternal directiveness?
Problems in early development of executive functioning may underlie the vulnerability and individual variability of infants born preterm for behavioral and learning problems. Parenting behaviors may aggravate or temper this increased risk for dysfunction. This study assessed how maternal parenting behaviors predict individual differences in early development of executive functioning in infants born preterm, and whether this varies with infant temperament, i.e., self-regulation.



Participants were 76 infants born preterm (≤36weeks' gestation and <2500g birth weight) and their mothers. Maternal sensitive responsiveness and directiveness were observed during a mother-infant interaction situation at 7, 10 and 14months corrected age. At the same ages, executive functioning was measured using the A-not-B task. An infant self-regulation questionnaire (IBQ-R) was completed by mothers at 7months.



After controlling for perinatal risk factors, Multivariate Latent Growth Modeling showed that consistently higher levels of maternal directiveness predicted a stronger increase in A-not-B performance, which did not vary with infant self-regulation. No relationship between maternal sensitive responsiveness and development in A-not-B performance in infants born preterm was found.



These results suggest that preterm infants' early executive functioning development in the first year of life may benefit from a more and consistent directive approach by their mothers. These findings have important implications for early intervention programs aimed at facilitating preterm infants' development.
Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: e.vandeweijer@uu.nl.
Eva
E
van de Weijer-Bergsma
Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Lex
L
Wijnroks
Department of Neonatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Ingrid C
IC
van Haastert
Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jan
J
Boom
Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Marian J
MJ
Jongmans
D000328:Adult; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations
Development; Executive function; Parent-child interaction; Prematurity