Effects of labels of infant health and gender on parent ratings of a preterm infant.

Abstract

This study extends previous investigations of prematurity prejudice by manipulating labels of infant health status and infant gender in a 2 x 2 factorial design. Eighty-eight parents of young children born prematurely viewed a videotape of a preterm infant on an apnea monitor and then completed ratings of premature infant behavior, attractiveness, general health, and caregiving. Analyses of variance yielded significant results only on the General Health scale with a significant main effect for infant health. The health status bias did not globally influence all perceptions. Implications for clinical practice are discussed, and future research directions are outlined.