Developmental changes in maternal interactions with term and preterm infants

Abstract

Eighty-eight preterm and 166 term infants were observed during teaching interactions with their mothers at 4, 8, and 24 months of age, and during feeding interactions at 4 and 8 months. The family was also rated using the HOME Inventory at 24 months. At 4 months, the preterm infants had lower levels of responsiveness and involvement than did the term infants, whereas the mothers of preterms showed equal or heightened levels of stimulation compared to mothers of terms. At 8 months the preterm infants were not different from term infants in task involvement, but the mothers' level of involvement had remained stable or declined. At 24 months the mothers of preterms showed lower levels of “positive messages” during teaching and reported lower levels of involvement with the child in daily activities than did mothers of terms. Although interpretation of these apparently differing developmental patterns must be cautious because of a confounding of gestational age and setting of observation, the findings nonetheless underline the fact that differences in interactive patterns between terms and preterms persist throughout the first two years of life.