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Updated: Sep 5, 2025
P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
Parent-infant interaction quality is related to preterm status and sensory processing
A Woolard1, A Coleman2, T Johnson2
1Family Interaction and Neurodevelopmental Laboratory, University of Newcastle, Australia; School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Australia; Priority Research Centre GrowUpWell, University of Newcastle, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Australia; University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Insights
Preterm infants show differences in sensory processing and parent interactions compared to full-term infants. Preterm birth and sensory challenges impact interaction quality, highlighting the need for further research.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neonatal Care
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Parent-infant interactions are crucial for infant socioemotional development.
- Preterm birth can negatively affect parent-infant interactions and infant socioemotional wellbeing.
- Infant sensory processing difficulties are common in preterm infants and linked to poorer interaction quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize parent-infant interaction quality in dyads with preterm infants.
- To examine associations between interaction quality, preterm status, and infant sensory processing.
- To investigate the interplay between preterm birth, sensory processing, and interaction dynamics.
Main Methods:
- 67 parent-infant dyads (22 preterm, 45 full-term) participated.
- Recorded 15-minute semi-structured play interactions were analyzed.
- Infant sensory processing was assessed using the Infant and Toddler Sensory Profile-2 (ITSP-2).
- Interaction quality was measured using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO).
Main Results:
- Preterm infants exhibited differences in sensory processing (visual, touch, movement) and interaction domains (responsivity, teaching).
- Infant prematurity was associated with lower responsivity and teaching, predicting overall interaction quality.
- Poorer infant sensory processing correlated with reduced parental teaching, affection, and responsivity.
- Interaction quality was predicted by infant prematurity and auditory sensory scores (R²=0.15).
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants differ from full-term peers in sensory processing and dyadic interactions.
- Preterm birth and sensory processing difficulties are associated with specific aspects of parent-infant interaction quality.
- Findings underscore the importance of examining the combined influence of preterm birth and sensory processing on early interaction dynamics.
Background:
Parent-infant interactions provide the foundation for the development of infant socioemotional wellbeing. Preterm birth can have a substantial, and often detrimental, impact on the quality of early parent-infant interactions. Sensory processing difficulties, common in preterm infants, are further associated with poorer interaction quality. There is a paucity of research, however, examining the links between the quality of parent-infant interaction, preterm birth, and sensory processing difficulties. This study aimed to characterise the quality of interactions of parent-infant dyads involving preterm infants who may display sensory processing differences and examine the associations between parent-infant interaction quality, preterm status and infant sensory processing.
Method:
67 parent-infant dyads (12-months infant age, 22 preterm, 45 full-term) participated in a recorded, semi-structured 15-minute play interaction. Parents also filled out questionnaires on demographics, and infant sensory processing (Infant and Toddler Sensory Profile-2; ITSP-2). Interaction quality was rated using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO).
Results:
Preterm and full-term infants differed in sensory processing and parent-infant interaction. Infant prematurity was associated with the sensory domains of; visual (r = - 0.37, p = .005), touch (r = - 0.39, p = .002), and movement (rs = - .32, p = .01), as well as the interaction domains of; responsivity (rs;= - .43, p = .001), teaching (rs = - .31, p = .02), and interaction total score (r = - 0.34, p = .01). Interaction quality was related to sensory registration (rs = - .38, p = .008), auditory (rs = - .34, p = .02), seeking (rs = .29, p = .05) and sensory behavioural scores (rs = - .52, p < .001). Overall, interaction quality was best predicted by infant prematurity and auditory scores, R2 = .15, F(1, 47) = 4.01, p = .02.
Discussion:
Preterm infants differed from their full-term peers in both their sensory processing and in their dyadic interactions with parents. Preterm status was associated with less responsivity and teaching and was found to predict overall interaction quality. Poorer infant sensory processing was associated with less parental teaching, affection and responsivity during interactions. Our results suggest that preterm birth is related to sensory processing difficulties, and that prematurity and sensory processing are differentially associated with aspects of interaction quality. These findings support the further examination of the interplay between preterm birth, sensory processing, and parent-infant interaction quality.
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