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The influence of infant irritability on maternal sensitivity in a sample of very premature infants
Author(s) -
Meier Petra,
Wolke Dieter,
Gutbrod Tina,
Rust Libi
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
infant and child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1522-7219
pISSN - 1522-7227
DOI - 10.1002/icd.284
Subject(s) - irritability , crying , maternal sensitivity , psychology , neonatal intensive care unit , developmental psychology , psychiatry , anxiety
The relationship between maternal sensitivity and infant irritability was investigated in a short‐term longitudinal study of 29 very preterm infants. Infant irritability was assessed at term with the Brazelton NBAS, the Mother and Baby Scales (MABS) and the Crying Pattern Questionnaire (CPQ). Maternal sensitivity was assessed by nurses' ratings in the neonatal care unit and at three months during mother–infant interaction observation. Cross‐lagged panel analysis indicated that neonatal irritability did not influence sensitivity at 3 months nor did maternal sensitivity in the newborn period lead to reduced irritability at 3 months. Both irritability and maternal sensitivity showed moderate stability over time ( r = 0.55 and r = 0.60, respectively). It is concluded that in early infancy maternal sensitivity shows little influence on infant irritability in very preterm infants. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.