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Dyadic co-regulation, affective intensity and infant's development at 12 months: A comparison among extremely preterm

Alessandra Sansavini1, Veronica Zavagli1, Annalisa Guarini1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, Bologna, 40127, Italy.

Infant Behavior & Development
|May 30, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Extremely low gestational age (ELGA) infants and their mothers show less positive interaction and co-regulation. Symmetric co-regulation is linked to motor development in ELGA infants, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neonatal Research
  • Maternal-Infant Interaction

Background:

  • Extremely low gestational age (ELGA) children face significant risks for developmental delays and impairments.
  • The impact of extremely preterm birth on early mother-infant relational dynamics, specifically co-regulation and affective intensity, remains under-investigated.
  • Understanding these early interactions is crucial for predicting and supporting infant development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate dyadic co-regulation and affective intensity in mother-infant dyads with extremely low gestational age (ELGA) infants compared to full-term (FT) infants at 12 months corrected age.
  • To explore the relationship between the quality of dyadic co-regulation and infant cognitive, motor, and language development.
  • To identify differences in relational dynamics that may impact developmental outcomes in ELGA infants.

Main Methods:

  • A relational dynamic system approach was used to compare 20 ELGA and 20 FT mother-infant dyads during spontaneous play.
  • Dyadic co-regulation was assessed using the Revised Relational Coding System (R-RCS).
  • Maternal and infant affective intensity was coded using a validated system; infant development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III).

Main Results:

  • ELGA dyads exhibited less symmetric and more unilateral co-regulation patterns compared to FT dyads.
  • Both mothers and infants in ELGA dyads displayed less positive and more neutral affective intensity.
  • ELGA infants scored lower on cognitive, motor, and language development; symmetric co-regulation correlated with motor scores in ELGA infants and cognitive scores in FT infants.

Conclusions:

  • ELGA mother-infant dyads experience challenges in achieving symmetric co-regulation and positive affective synchrony at 12 months corrected age.
  • Symmetric co-regulation is significantly associated with motor development in extremely preterm infants.
  • Intervention programs should focus on enhancing joint attention, active involvement, and positive affect in ELGA dyads to support infant development.

Keywords:
Dyadic co-regulationEarly affective cognitiveExtremely preterm birthLinguistic and motor developmentMother–infant interaction

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