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The effect of neonatal temperament on caregiver behavior in the newborn nursery
Author(s) -
Breitmayer Bonnie J.,
Ricciuti Henry N.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0355(198822)9:2<158::aid-imhj2280090204>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - psychology , temperament , irritability , humanities , developmental psychology , eye contact , anxiety , personality , psychiatry , social psychology , art
The research was conducted to determine whether temperamental characteristics of neonates influence caregiver behavior as early as the second day of life. Visual attentiveness, activity, and irritability of 28 healthy newborns were rated during six 30‐minute sessions. Derived scores represented the infant's behavior during the total observation time and during specified caretaking activities. Several categories of nurturant behaviors and types of comments directed toward each infant by nurse‐caregivers were coded during independent sessions. Variations in caregiver behavior were shown by Pearson correlations to be related to independently assessed differences among neonates. Alert babies received the most nurturant and social contact; active infants received the least contact, but the most comments that reflected concern about their health; irritable infants were soothed most. The data clearly suggest that emerging infant temperament plays a role in shaping the caregiving environment by the second day of life.