Socioemotional adaptation of preterm infants at three years

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship of risk status at birth and attachment in the second year of life to measures of socioemotional adaptation at age 3. The subjects were 52 preterm infants stratified into three groups according to the severity and chronicity of their respiratory illness. Two videotaped laboratory procedures were used to code both the quality of mother-child interactions in a structured teaching task situation and the child's functioning under stress. The results show that although early risk history alone does not manifest itself as a pervasive disruption to the mother-child relationship, attachment history was associated with differential dyadic interactions. Moreover, when placed under stress without adequate maternal support, the fragility of the high-risk infants emerged. The article concludes with implications for clinical practice.