The Quality of Interactive Behaviors in the Context of Prematurity: Fathers, Mothers, Daughters, and Sons
Carolina Toscano1, Isabel Soares1, Joana Baptista2
1Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
Insights
Preterm birth did not impact preschooler interaction quality. However, preterm boys showed more difficulties than girls, suggesting child sex is crucial for monitoring preterm development.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Research
Background:
- Parent-child interaction quality is vital for child development.
- Preterm birth may influence early social-emotional development.
- Understanding factors like child sex and parental roles is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate interaction quality between preterm preschoolers and parents.
- To examine the influence of child sex and parental sex on these interactions.
- To determine if prematurity affects interaction dynamics in the preschool years.
Main Methods:
- Observed 88 preterm and 44 full-term children (3.5 years) with parents during structured tasks.
- Coded child cooperation-compliance and negativity-hostility.
- Assessed parental sensitive behavior using established scales.
Main Results:
- No difference in interaction quality linked to preterm birth.
- Fathers showed less sensitivity than mothers in full-term, but not preterm, dyads.
- Preterm boys displayed more interactive difficulties than preterm girls.
Conclusions:
- Prematurity itself does not impair preschooler-parent interaction quality.
- Preterm boys may face higher risks for interactive challenges.
- Child sex is an important consideration in assessing preterm child development.
Objective:
This study examined the quality of interaction between preterm-born preschoolers and their mothers and fathers, focusing on the role of child and parental sex.
Methods:
Participants included 88 preterm-born children (<37 wk gestational age) and 44 full-term-born children (≥37 wk gestational age) aged 3 1/2 years and their parents. Mother-child and father-child dyads were observed during a structured interactive task. Children's cooperation-compliance and negativity-hostility behaviors were coded using the Coding System for Mother-Child Interactions, and parents' sensitive behavior was coded using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale.
Results:
There was no association between preterm birth and the quality of child and parents' interactive behaviors. In the full-term group, fathers exhibited lower levels of sensitive behavior than mothers, but in the preterm group, both parents exhibited similar levels of sensitive behavior. Preterm boys exhibited more interactive difficulties than preterm girls, but there was no significant effect of child sex on full-term children's interactive behaviors. Children exhibited more compliance-cooperation and less negativity-hostility toward fathers than toward mothers.
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that prematurity in itself does not affect the quality of parent-preterm child interactive behaviors as the children enter the preschool period. Preterm boys seem to be at higher risk for interactive difficulties than girls, and thus, child sex should be considered when monitoring and examining the development of preterm children.
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