Adaptation of babies in three types of placement: An ethological approach.

Abstract

The present pilot study focuses on the adaptive processes of babies who are placed during their first months of life. It used an ethological approach to explore the behavioural adjustment of 19 infants from their arrival in placement through their first 6 weeks in Residential Care (RC; France), a Foster Family (FF; Québec) or an Infant-Mother Centre (IMC; Québec). Direct observations were conducted once a week during feeding sessions. Observed behaviours were as follows: sleep-wake state, self-soothing, burp, visual exploration, motor activity, facial and vocal expressions. Then, a Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted to examine differences in babies' adaption as a function of placement setting. Results showed that, in RC, the duration of the post-feeding phase is the shortest. Moreover, these institutionalized babies showed the most modes of self-protection and the fewest vocalizations. By contrast, babies placed in the IMC spent the least time in withdrawal, expressed motor activity more regularly and were never placed back in their recliner before burping. Larger differences appear comparing placement in RC and that in the IMC, the placement in FF showing intermediate results.