title: Preterm infant development, maternal distress and sensitivity: The influence of severity of birth weight.
abstract: To evaluate the influence of the severity of prematurity based on birth weight on maternal distress and sensitivity and on infant development.
  
  
  
  Sixty-eight mothers and their preterm babies (30 babies classified into Extremely-Low-Birth Weight-ELBW and 38 into Very-Low-Birth Weight-VLBW) were assessed at 9months of infant corrected age, using: Griffiths Scales for infant development, CARE-Index for maternal sensitivity during 5-minute of mother-infant interaction, and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) for maternal distress. Sixty-six healthy full-term infants (FT) and their mothers were assessed with the same procedure.
  
  
  
  ELBW, VLBW and FT groups showed similar levels at CARE-Index and PSI-SF. Nevertheless, considering infant development as outcome, a significant interaction between birth weight and maternal distress emerged, with higher Hearing & Language mean quotients in association with Non-Distressed mothers, but only in VLBW infants, compared to FT ones. Also the interaction between birth weight and maternal sensitivity influenced infant development: higher quotients (Eye-hand coordination, Hearing & Language, Locomotor) were significantly associated with sensitive mothers but only in ELBW infants.
  
  
  
  The severity of prematurity, in interaction with the degree of maternal distress and sensitivity, influenced the level of infant development.
  
  
  
  Taken together, these results suggest the relevance of considering severity of prematurity and maternal variables in order to implement appropriate interventions for supporting parenting role after a preterm birth and promoting an adequate infant development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: erica.neri4@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agostini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Facondini
authors.affiliation: Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Bufalini Hospital, Viale Ghirotti 286, 47521 Cesena, Italy.
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biasini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D000068097:Maternal Health; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Birth weight; Infant development; Maternal sensitivity; Parenting distress; Preterm birth