Mother-Infant Interaction: comparisons related to prematurity at the infant's three months of life

Abstract

Preterm birth may constitute a risk factor for mother-infant interaction, suggesting studies with this sample. This study aimed to describe and compare interactive behaviors of mother-infant dyads from two groups, one of preterm infants and the other of full-term infants. Thirty mothers and their preterm infants (PT Group) and 30 mothers and their infants born at term (AT Group) participated. Each dyad’s interaction was recorded for five minutes. The t test of independent samples was used to compare both groups. PT Group infants emitted significantly more the behaviors of keeping eye contact with their mothers and exploring the environment visually. Their totals of negative and non-interactive behaviors were also higher. AT Group infants interacted and explored more the toys offered by their mothers and emitted more positive interactive behaviors. PT Group mothers caressed and played significantly more with their infants than AT Group mothers, who provided more toys for their infants. It is pointed out the importance of investigating patterns of interaction mother-infant born prematurely to delineate strategies that promote positive interactions between the dyads.