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Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Published on: August 25, 2014

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Quality of attachment, perinatal risk, and mother-infant interaction in a high-risk premature sample

Laura Udry-Jørgensen1, Blaise Pierrehumbert1, Ayala Borghini1

  • 1University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|May 19, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Premature infants with more severe perinatal issues often show insecure attachment. Early mother-infant interactions, like maternal controlling behavior, predict attachment quality, highlighting the need for early intervention.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care and developmental psychology.
  • Pediatric developmental outcomes.
  • Infant attachment and risk factors.

Background:

  • Premature infants face significant medical challenges.
  • Early life experiences profoundly impact child development.
  • Attachment security is crucial for long-term well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the relationship between perinatal risk and infant attachment.
  • To identify early interaction patterns as predictors of attachment.
  • To understand risk and protective factors in premature infant development.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 33 families with infants born <33 weeks gestational age.
  • Assessment of perinatal problems using the Perinatal Risk Inventory (PERI).
  • Observation of mother-infant play (CARE-index) at 4 months and attachment (Strange Situation Procedure) at 12 months corrected age.

Main Results:

  • High perinatal medical risk correlated with insecure attachment at 12 months.
  • Insecure attachment linked to maternal controlling behavior and infant compliance at 4 months.
  • Specific dyadic interaction patterns identified as risk or protective factors for attachment.

Conclusions:

  • Perinatal problems significantly influence attachment security in premature infants.
  • Early dyadic interactions are critical for attachment development.
  • Targeted interventions addressing risk factors are essential for promoting secure attachment in this population.

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