[Management of at-risk children: parent-child relations in the first half year. A descriptive study]

Early development of parental behavior was studied in 10 infants born at risk. The infants were firstborn, suffered from prematurity and perinatal complications and were separated from their mothers for at least three days after birth. Semistructured videotaped interviews with the parents and developmental and neurological testing of the infants were performed prior to the dismissal from the neonatal unit, and at three and six months after term. Premature birth, perinatal complications and separation of mother and child had a strong impact on the emotional development of the parents affecting mothers and fathers differently. A number of pre-, peri- and postnatal factors are reported influencing the mother-father-infant triad as well as the marital relationship. The findings of this study indicate that pediatric care of infants born at risk requires knowledge about the emotional changes during early parenthood, the risk factors of parenting after premature delivery and perinatal complications, and, in particular, about the emotional adaptation of the parents under these circumstances.