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New strategies for the treatment of colic: modifying the parent/infant interaction
1North Texas Colic Specialists, Inc, Grand Prairie 75052, USA.
Insights
Behavior modification significantly reduced infant colic crying by teaching parents effective responses to infant cues. This intervention improved parent-infant interaction and decreased crying duration in colicky infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral Science
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Infant colic is characterized by prolonged, inconsolable crying in infants under 4 months.
- It is often defined by crying exceeding 2 hours daily for at least 3 days.
- Parental response modification is a potential intervention strategy for managing colic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the effectiveness of behavior modification techniques in treating infant colic.
- To investigate if modifying parent-infant interaction reduces crying in colicky infants.
- To test the hypothesis that specific parental guidance decreases infant crying.
Main Methods:
- A quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest was employed.
- Twenty-three infants were allocated to intervention, nonintervention, and control groups.
- Parental crying diaries and the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS) were used for data collection.
Main Results:
- Infant crying significantly decreased from 3.79 to 1.12 hours per day post-intervention (P < .05).
- Parents in the intervention group showed improved parent-infant interaction scores on the NCAFS (P < .05).
- Individualized counseling and education were key components of the successful intervention.
Conclusions:
- Modifying parental responses to infant cues is an effective strategy for reducing colic-related crying.
- Behavioral interventions can positively impact parent-infant interaction in cases of infant colic.
- Findings support the use of parental education in managing colicky infants.
Introduction:
The purpose of this study was to validate the effectiveness of behavior modification in treating colicky infants. Colic was defined as a self-limiting condition in infants less than 4 months of age with a complex of physical behaviors and inconsolable crying (> 2 hours a day for 3 days). It was hypothesized that when parents are given specific instructions about how to respond quickly and appropriately to their infant's cues (modification of the parent/infant interaction), the amount of crying by the infant decreases.
Method:
A quasi-experimental design with an untreated control group and a pretest and posttest was used for the study. Twenty-three infants were randomly assigned to intervention, nonintervention, and control groups. Crying diaries kept by the parents were used to obtain quantitative measurements of crying before and after intervention. The Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS) was used to measure parent/infant interaction.
Results:
Crying was significantly reduced from 3.79 hours per day to 1.12 hours per day (F = 46.00, df = 2, P < .05) among infants whose parents received interventions of individualized counseling and education. Caregivers of colicky infants in the intervention group scored lower on the NCAFS (F = 5.59, df = 2, P < .05).
Conclusions:
Findings support previous research suggesting that crying can be reduced by modifying parental responses to the infant.