DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERNS IN PRETERM INFANTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO INFANT TEMPERAMENT AND PARENT-INFANT INTERACTION.
Contributors: University of Michigan.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 153
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Parents of preterm infants often identify concerns about their babies' development and/or behavior which are not associated with marked global developmental delays or obvious neurological deficits. A conceptual model was proposed suggesting that selected neonatal complications (severity of respiratory disease, occurrence and severity of intraventricular hemorrhage and gestational age) may be associated with alterations in development, parents' perception of infant temperament and parent-infant interactive activity levels. This study has examined the relationships proposed in the conceptual model. A sample of 44 infants (born between 28-32 weeks gestational age) was obtained from two tertiary care NICU's. Of this sample, 29 infants were assessed at 4 months conceptual age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Carey Infant Temperament Scale and the Attachment Indicator During Stress Scale. The remaining 15 infants were assessed at 6 months conceptual age. A second sample of Bayley Scales assessments of 306 infants was used in the development of seven subscales of the Bayley Scales. These subscales were the basis for the examination of developmental patterns. The study findings support the relationship between the severity of respiratory complications and intraventricular hemorrhage and developmental achievement. Differential achievement was noted across the seven subscales. Incidence and severity of intracranial bleeds were not found to be significantly associated with placement on the Carey Infant Temperament Scale, although the relationship between severe ICH and placement in the "difficult" category on the Carey did approach significance. In addition, mothers of babies identified as "difficult" on the Carey were found to demonstrate significantly higher levels of interactive activity than did mothers of infants identified as "easy.".
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-09, Section: B, page: 2606.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, 1987.

School code: 0127.