Kangaroo mother care and the bonding hypothesis

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Maternal-infant bonding
• Developmental psychology

Background:

• Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is hypothesized to foster sensitive caregiving through skin-to-skin contact.
• The intervention aims to enhance maternal perception and readiness to respond to infant cues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of KMC on maternal-infant bonding and maternal sensitivity in premature infants.
• To compare KMC with traditional care (TC) in terms of maternal perceptions and caregiving behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 488 low-birth-weight infants (KMC group: 246, TC group: 242).
• Assessed maternal attachment behaviors through feelings/perceptions and observed mother-infant responsivity during breastfeeding.
• KMC involved skin-to-skin contact, nutrition support, and clinical monitoring; TC involved incubator care.

Main Results:

• KMC improved maternal perception of the child and maternal competence, particularly in stressful situations (resilience effect).
• A negative effect on perceived social support was noted in KMC mothers (isolation effect), suggesting a need for integrated social support.
• Maternal sensitivity was influenced by KMC but significantly overshadowed by the infant's health status.

Conclusions:

• KMC should be actively promoted and initiated early in the intensive care period.
• KMC humanizes neonatal care, enhancing maternal empowerment and resilience.
• Infant health status is a critical factor in maternal sensitive behavior, potentially moderating KMC effects.