SOCIAL INFLUENCES AND COMPETENCE IN PRETERM CHILDREN

Abstract

The impact of the social environment on preterm children is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social influences, as measured by detailed caregiver-child interactions, and the child's competence at age 2 in a sroup of preterm children. The subjects included in this report were 50 proterm children, 32 boys and 18 girls, and their English speaking primary caregivers. Only singletons and children free of major neurological problems were included. Caregiver-child interactions were observed when the child was 21 months of age in a laboratory situation that consisted of 4 interactional tasks. Tie interactional tasks were videotaped and three major categories of behavior were scored from the tapes: care-giver, child, and reciprocal interactions involving both members of the dyad. The assessments of competence in the second year of life included the Bayley Mental Scale given at 18 and 25 months and the Gesell Devolopmental Schedules at 24 months. The results indicated that children who differed in their competence were clearly different in caregiver-child interactions. The most consistent relationships between caregiver-child behaviors and competence were found for those behaviors which involved both the caregiver and the child in reciprocal social interchanges. In summary, this report had documented social influences beyond social class associated with competence in preterm children.