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Disturbances of affect expression in failure-to-thrive.
H J Polan1, A Leon, M D Kaplan
1Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|November 1, 1991
Summary
Children with failure-to-thrive exhibit fewer positive emotions and more negative emotions, especially during feeding. Malnutrition severity, not organic factors, impacts negative affect in these children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Failure-to-thrive (FTT) is a complex condition affecting child development.
- Emotional expression plays a role in parent-child interactions and feeding dynamics.
- Understanding the affective states of children with FTT is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare positive and negative affect in children with FTT versus normally growing children.
- To investigate the influence of malnutrition and organic factors on affect in FTT.
- To explore the implications for clinical assessment and FTT theories.
Main Methods:
- Assessed positive and negative affect in 28 children with FTT and 14 controls (6-36 months).
- Evaluated children in both feeding and nonfeeding situations.
- Examined the roles of malnutrition (acute/chronic) and organic factors in FTT.
Main Results:
- Children with FTT showed less positive affect in both situations compared to controls.
- FTT children displayed more negative affect during feeding than controls.
- Acute and chronic malnutrition in FTT children correlated with increased negative feeding affect; organic factors did not.
Conclusions:
- Affective differences in FTT children suggest emotional well-being is compromised.
- Malnutrition, particularly combined acute and chronic, significantly impacts negative affect during feeding.
- Findings may inform clinical evaluations and theoretical models of failure-to-thrive.