Abstract
Male partner involvement (MPI) during the prenatal and postnatal periods has been proven to have a beneficial effect on infant development. Infants born to HIV seropositive mothers with lacking or no prenatal and postnatal male partner support may be at a higher risk for adverse developmental outcomes. This study examined the effect of MPI on cognitive, communicative, fine, and gross motor development in 160 infants born to HIV seropositive mothers attending Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in rural South Africa. Results of the bivariate logistic regression showed that both prenatal (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.01, 1.26; p < 0.05) and postnatal MPI (at 12 months) (1.19; 1.07, 1.31; p < 0.005) were associated with risk for delayed gross motor development in HIV exposed infants. Decreased postnatal MPI (0.85; 0.75, 0.98; p < 0.05) was significantly associated with risk for delayed cognitive development. Not living together with a male partner (2.01; 1.06, 3.80; p < 0.05) was significantly associated with risk for delayed cognitive development. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, decreased postnatal MPI (0.85; 0.75, 0.98; p < 0.05) was significantly associated with risk for delayed cognitive development. On the other hand, postnatal MPI (1.30; 1.12, 1.50; p < 0.005) was associated with risk for delayed gross motor development among HIV exposed infants. Increased MPI can have beneficial effects on infants’ cognitive development. Interventions in PMTCT programs should promote increased prenatal and postnatal MPI to improve cognitive development in HIV exposed infants.
Highlights
Male partner involvement (MPI) during pregnancy, childbirth and after birth, has been promoted as an effective intervention to improve maternal and infant health outcomes
The beneficial effect of MPI in infant development has been shown in previous studies
Not living together with male partner and decreased/lack of postnatal MPI (0.88; 0.80, 0.97; p < 0.05) were significantly associated with risk for delayed cognitive development
Summary
Male partner involvement (MPI) during pregnancy, childbirth and after birth, has been promoted as an effective intervention to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. The beneficial effect of MPI in infant development has been shown in previous studies. A review of infant studies has shown that father-child interactions from as early as 3 months of age may influence children’s cognitive development at 24 months of age [2]. According to this review [2] father-child interactions at 3 months took place at home in a floor-mat setting in which fathers were asked to talk to and play with their infants, for three minutes, as they would normally without the use of toys. At twenty-four months of age, free play and book sessions were
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