Improving adolescent parent-infant interactions: a pilot study

The study objective was to pilot test Keys to Caregiving, a program designed to improve interactions and contingent responsiveness between adolescent mothers and their infants. First-time adolescent parents, aged 15 to 19 years, received either the Keys to Caregiving program delivered by 6-weekly visits or a control program consisting of 6-weekly neutral visits. Parent-infant interactions and contingent responsiveness during teaching and feeding, and infant cognitive development were assessed when infants completed the program. The results suggest that the Keys to Caregiving program shows promise as a method of improving adolescent mothers' interactions with their infants.