Non verbal language in mothers with malnourished infants. A pilot study

Maternal non verbal language (NVL) includes all gestural manifestations of the mother towards her infant which bear an emotional connotation. This study compares NVL expressiveness of mothers with malnourished and with healthy infants in a population of low socioeconomic level. Forty mother/infant dyads: 20 mothers with malnourished infants and 20 with healthy infants were studied. Mothers with malnourished infants had low degree of NVL expressiveness (90%) and low personal satisfaction with their family life (70%).