Baby Scale Research Articles

Fetal size in mid‐ and late pregnancy is related to infant alertness: The generation R study

The vulnerability for behavioral problems is partly shaped in fetal life. Numerous studies have related indicators of intrauterine growth, for example, birth weight and body size, to behavioral development. We investigated whether fetal size in mid- and late pregnancy is related to infant irritability and alertness. In a population-based birth cohort of 4,255 singleton full-term infants ultrasound measurements of fetal head and abdominal circumference in mid- and late pregnancy were performed. Infant irritability and alertness scores were obtained by the Mother and Baby Scales at 3 months and z-standardized. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed curvilinear associations (inverted J-shape) of measures of fetal size in both mid- and late pregnancy with infant alertness. Fetal size characteristics were not associated with infant irritability. These results suggest that alterations of intrauterine growth affecting infant alertness are already detectable from mid-pregnancy onwards.

Evaluation of the psychometrics properties of the alarm distress baby scale among 122 Brazilian children.

The Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) aims at assessing infant withdrawal behavior. A previous validation study revealed acceptable reliability and validity indices. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the scale in a larger sample from a culturally different population. Pediatricians evaluated the behavior of 122 infants, 2 and 19 months old, using the ADBB during routine physical consultation. Four investigators (two pediatricians and two nurses not specialized in pediatric care) examined video recordings of the evaluations. Results showed good interrater reliability coefficients among pediatricians and poor correlation when all professionals were grouped together. Test-retest reliability revealed good intraexaminer agreement (r = 0.91). The pediatricians' evaluation using the ADBB was compared with a psychiatric examination to investigate the scale's criterion validity. The cutoff point of 5 provided the best clinical validity (sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 81%). Results from construct validity showed that the scale had three dimensions. Comparison of the factor solution with other construct validity studies of the same instrument revealed similarities and differences. Results suggest that the ADBB may be a useful screening instrument to detect signs of psychiatric alterations related to withdrawal behavior in primary care services, and it is likely to provide consistent information.

Maternal Psychological Reaction to Newborn Genetic Screening for Type 1 Diabetes

The purpose of this work was to describe levels of maternal anxiety, depressive symptoms, and perceptions of infant vulnerability associated with newborn genetic screening for susceptibility to type 1 diabetes. Mothers of infants tested at birth for genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes as part of a prospective study investigating potential environmental triggers of autoimmunity were recruited to this study. Three mother-infant cohorts were studied: 38 infants at increased genetic risk, 73 at low risk, and 76 who had not undergone testing. The Vulnerable Baby Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and state subscale of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered at the 9-week, 4-month, and 1-year postnatal ages. Genetic-risk notification occurred at the 10-week postnatal age. Mothers whose infants had undergone genetic testing were also asked to subjectively rate how much they thought and worried about their child's genetic test result. Statistical analyses were conducted to test for differences in questionnaire scores among the 3 groups. No difference among the groups was detected in Vulnerable Baby Scale or Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores using linear mixed-effects model analysis. Maternal anxiety was paradoxically slightly lower in the increased-risk group shortly after notification of results, but there were no significant differences among the groups by 1 year. Mothers of infants in the high-risk group reported thinking and worrying about their child's test result significantly more than mothers of low-risk infants at both time points after notification of results. Newborn genetic screening to identify infants at risk for type 1 diabetes is not associated with elevated levels of maternal anxiety, depressive symptoms, or heightened perceptions of infant vulnerability. However, responses to subjective assessment questions suggest that it is possible that more subtle effects on mothers do occur, and this requires further investigation.

Reading preterm infants' behavioral cues: An intervention study with parents of premature infants born < 32 weeks

The effect of a short-term intervention with parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on their knowledge of infant behavioral cues and confidence in caregiving was examined. Ten sets of parents with a total of 22 premature infants born < 32 weeks gestational age admitted to a NICU were enrolled in a time-lag control trial over an 8-month period. The intervention group was given 4 sessions of instructions on preterm infant behavior for a period of 2 weeks. The control group did not receive the instructions. All parents completed two subscales of the Mother and Baby Scale (MABS) at weeks 1 and 3 and a short questionnaire concerning nursing support at week 3. Intervention parents completed a pre- and post-test on knowledge of preterm infant behavioral cues at weeks 1 and 3. There was a significant improvement in the post-test scores concerning knowledge of preterm infant behavioral cues and a higher nursing support score for mothers in the intervention group. Intervention mothers showed no significant improvement in confidence in caregiving. Only half of the intervention group fathers participated in the sessions and there were no significant differences in fathers' scores. While the intervention significantly increased maternal knowledge of infant behavioral cues, there was no significant effect on mothers' confidence in caregiving. Very few fathers participated in the entire intervention. A longer, more intensive program with a larger sample size and finding ways of incorporating more participation from fathers is recommended.

Pengaruh status gizi ibu menyusui terhadap eksklusivitas pemberian ASI dan pertumbuhan bayi di RSUD Prof. Dr. WZ. Johannes Kupang

Background : Numerous research have been made to find out contributive factors of the exclusive breastfeeding.Objective: The objective of this study was to find out whether mothers’ nutritional status had any influence on the exclusivity of breastfeeding and on the growth of their babies up to 4 months.Methods: This observational study was carried out with a prospective cohort design and lasted from November 2004 to May 2005. The subjects were 80 pairs of mother and baby treated at the Obstetric and Gynecology Unit (UPF) of Local Public Hospital (RSUD) Prof. Dr. W.Z. Johannes at Kupang – NTT. The subjects were divided into two groups namely Undernutrition status group marked by &lt;23,5 cm mid arm-circumference, and control group comprised 46 mothers of well- nutrition status who had bigger mid arm-circumference &gt;23,5 cm. Observed babies were those of normal or spontaneous delivery, non twin with &gt;2500 g birth weight. Follow up observations were made at family home and the data on breastfeeding characteristics were collected by interview, babies weight were measured by Secca baby scale with 0,01 kg level of accuracy mid arm-circumference was measured by means of LILA tape, and body length was measured using length-board. Tools measure with 0,1 cm level of accuracy. Some statistical tests were used namely Chi-Square; student’s t-test; and while Kaplan Meier log-rank test as needed.Results: More than 50% of under-nutrition mothers were under 25 years old. Chi-Square test shows that significant difference between mother’s age was (p=0,04). More than 50% of the KEK group gave birth for the first time or ‘primipara’ (p=0,25). Kaplan Meier analysis showed that there was no difference between survival median of breastfeeding be- tween the both group (p=0,53). t-test showed that there were significant differences of the babies body weight of the both KEK and non KEK mothers, namely pd”0,01, p=0.01, and p=0.03 in the first, second, third, and the fourth month respectively. In terms of the average babies body length, the t-test also showed significant differences between both groups with p=0.02 and p=0.01 in the third and the fourth month respectively.Conclusion: I can be concluded that mother’ nutrition status did not have any influence on the exclusivity of breastfeeding, however, it did significantly influence babies growth from 0- 4 month.

The Psychological Effects of Aromatherapy-Massage in Healthy Postpartum Mothers

This study examined the effect of aromatherapy-massage in healthy postpartum mothers. A quasi-experimental between-groups design was used. Mothers who received aromatherapy-massage were compared with a control group who received standard postpartum care. Thirty-six healthy, first-time mothers with vaginal delivery of a full-term, healthy infant participated in this study. Sixteen mothers received a 30-minute aromatherapy-massage on the second postpartum day; 20 mothers were in the control group. All mothers completed the following four standardized questionnaires before and after the intervention: 1) Maternity Blues Scale; 2) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; 3) Profile of Mood States (POMS); and 4) Feeling toward Baby Scale. In the aromatherapy-massage group, posttreatment scores significantly decreased for the Maternity Blues Scale, the State-Anxiety Inventory, and all but one of the Profile of Mood States subscales. Posttreatment scores in the intervention group significantly increased in Profile of Mood States-Vigor subscale and the Approach Feeling toward Baby subscale. Scores in the intervention group significantly decreased in Conflict Index of Avoidance/Approach Feeling toward Baby subscale. Our results suggest that aromatherapy-massage might be an effective intervention for postpartum mothers to improve physical and mental status and to facilitate mother-infant interaction.

A low cost, colour coded, hand held spring scale accurately categorises birth weight in low resource settings

Aims: To determine the accuracy of a low cost, spring calibrated, hand held scale in classifying newborns into three weight categories (⩾2500 g, 2000–2499 g, <2000 g). Methods: The test...

Sustained withdrawal behavior in clinic-referred and nonreferred infants.

To examine the relations between infants' sustained withdrawal behavior and children's mental health status and maternal and child relational behavior, 36 clinic-referred and 43 control infants were evaluated. Families were visited at home, mother-child free play and feeding interactions were videotaped, and mothers completed self-report measures. Interactions were coded for sustained withdrawal using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB; Guedeney and Fermanian, 2001) and for global relational patterns with the Coding of Interactive Behavior (CIB; Feldman, 1998). Higher ADBB scores were found for the referred group, with many infants (38.9% ) scoring above the clinical cutoff (vs. 11.6% in the control group). More negative relational patterns were found for the withdrawn group in terms of higher maternal intrusiveness, lower reciprocity, and lower child involvement. Associations were found between maternal and child behavior during play and feeding and child sustained withdrawal behavior at play. Sustained withdrawal also was associated with unpredictable child temperament and lower sense of parental self-efficacy. Maternal depressive symptoms were higher in the referred group and correlated with maternal and child relational patterns. The findings contribute to the construct and discriminant validity of the CIB and the ADBB coding systems, and suggest that sustained withdrawal may serve as a risk indicator for early socioemotional disorders.

Vulnerable Baby Scale: Development and piloting of a questionnaire to measure maternal perceptions of their baby's vulnerability

To develop and provide initial data to validate a contemporary measure of maternal perceptions of infant vulnerability. Questions that address current concerns of mothers regarding their young children (such as the risk of sudden infant death syndrome) were added to an existing Vulnerable Child Questionnaire. Questions not relevant to either current concerns or to young infants were removed. The modified questionnaire, along with standard measures of maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms, were administered to mothers of 39 healthy full-term babies, 17 mothers of 'medically fragile' babies and 19 mothers of jaundiced babies. Babies were approximately 12 weeks of age at the time of completion of the questionnaire. Three questions were removed from the questionnaire on the basis of poor item-total correlations, leaving the final version with 10 questions, scored on 1-5 rating scales. Cronbach alpha for the revised scale was 0.7. There was a significant difference (P = 0.002) in mean vulnerable baby scores between the control group and the 'medically fragile' group. There was a moderately strong correlation between vulnerable baby score and maternal state anxiety (r = 0.6) and a weaker correlation with maternal depressive symptoms (r = 0.3). The modified questionnaire has good internal consistency. The difference in mean scores between the three groups, and correlations with maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms, lend construct validity to the scale. The Vulnerable Baby Scale appears to be suitable for assessing maternal perceptions of the vulnerability of their young babies in clinical and research settings although further research, with larger samples, may be necessary to fully establish the scale's psychometric properties.

La position de retrait chez le bébé ou l'échec à maintenir le maintenant

This paper analyzes the issue of time for the infant. Present seems to be what matters for the infant, who is unable to do without. The position of withdrawal from the present time is understood as an important way for the psychological development, and as defence mechanism if sustained, thus impending on development. The assessment of social withdrawal trough the alarm distress baby (adbb) scale is presented.

Comportement de retrait relationnel du jeune enfant Du concept à l’outil diagnostique

The social withdrawal behaviour concept is presented, along with its historical background and its links to infant depression. Sustained social withdrawal behaviour in infancy is observed either with attachment disorders, in autism, sensory impairment, intense and chronic pain, or in interaction disorders and as effects of maternal depression on the infant. The alarm distress baby scale (ADBB) is a 8 item-assessment scale. It has been built to help screening early withdrawal behaviour, making use for example of the routine physical examination in a Well Baby clinic. Current clinical and research application and validations of the scale are presented.

Maternal perceptions of early breastfeeding experiences and breastfeeding outcomes at 6 weeks

Objective : To explore whether breastfeeding status at 6 weeks postpartum is related to the mother’s perceptions of her infant’s behavior, the breastfeeding experience itself, and of herself as a mother during postpartum hospitalization. Design : A prospective correlational design. Setting : A tertiary care setting in Eastern Canada. Participants : One hundred and ten women who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from the postpartum unit. The majority were primaparous, over 25 years of age, well educated, and had partners. Outcome measures : (1) Maternal perceptions of the overall infant behavior, of the breastfeeding experience, and of herself using the Mother and Baby Scales (MABS) neonatal (Wolke, D., 1995. St. James Roberts and Wolke Mother and Baby Scales (MABS) (1986,1995). In: Brazelton, T.B., Nugent, J.K. (Eds.), Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Clinics in Developmental Medicine 137, 135–137) and (2) breastfeeding rates at 6 weeks postpartum. Results : At 6 weeks postpartum, 80 (74.8%) participants were breastfeeding and 27 (25.8%) had stopped. Maternal perceptions of infant alertness/responsiveness (A) ( r = 0.54, p r = −0.34, p r = 0.33, p Conclusions : The findings highlight the importance of maternal perceptions of their infant’s behavior and of self as a mother in sustaining breastfeeding. In the absence of personal and social pressures to stop breastfeeding, interventions that begin with how to look at feeding from an infant perspective may be the best starting point to a successful breastfeeding.

The influence of infant irritability on maternal sensitivity in a sample of very premature infants

AbstractThe relationship between maternal sensitivity and infant irritability was investigated in a short‐term longitudinal study of 29 very preterm infants. Infant irritability was assessed at term with the Brazelton NBAS, the Mother and Baby Scales (MABS) and the Crying Pattern Questionnaire (CPQ). Maternal sensitivity was assessed by nurses' ratings in the neonatal care unit and at three months during mother–infant interaction observation. Cross‐lagged panel analysis indicated that neonatal irritability did not influence sensitivity at 3 months nor did maternal sensitivity in the newborn period lead to reduced irritability at 3 months. Both irritability and maternal sensitivity showed moderate stability over time (r = 0.55 and r = 0.60, respectively). It is concluded that in early infancy maternal sensitivity shows little influence on infant irritability in very preterm infants. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

A validity and reliability study of assessment and screening for sustained withdrawal reaction in infancy: The Alarm Distress Baby scale

AbstractSustained withdrawal behavior in infancy is an important alarm signal to draw attention to both organic and relationship disorders. A withdrawal scale, the Alarm Distress Baby scale (ADBB), for infants between 2 and 24 months of age was built. This article describes the construction of the scale and the assessment of its psychometric properties. The ADBB has good content validity, based on the advice of seven experts. The scale has good criterion validity: first, as a measure of the infant's withdrawal reaction, with a very good correlation between nurse and pediatrician on the ADBB (rs = 0.84), and second, as a screening procedure for detecting the developmental risk of the infant. The cutoff score of 5 with a sensitivity of 0.82 and a specificity of 0.78 was determined to be optimal for screening purposes. The scale has good construct validity, with good convergent validity with both the Spitz (1951) and the Herzog &amp; Rathbun (1982) lists of symptoms of infant depression (rs = 0.61 and 0.60, respectively). Exploratory factor analysis showed two different factors, consistent with the scale's construct. Reliability was satisfactory with good internal consistency for both subscales (the Cronbach α = 0.80 for the first subscale and 0.79 for the second) and for the global scale (α = 0.83). The test‐retest procedure showed good stability over time (rs = 0.90 and 0.84 for the two different raters). The scale could be used in different clinical settings, provided a sufficient level of social stimulation is given to the infant in a relatively brief period of time. The scale can be used by nurses and psychologists or by medical doctors after a short period of training. © 2001 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

The Effect of Social Support Intervention on Mood and Maternal Confidence of Premature's Mothers

【The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of social support intervention on mood and maternal confidence of premature's mothers. social support intervention is known to induce improved mood state and provide information on caretaking so as to increase the maternal confidence in the mother of a premature. To systematically investigate its effect, this study employed a nonequivalent randomized post-repeated quasi-experimental design. intervention was given individually to mothers of prematures five times spanning five weeks. sample consisted of the 50 mothers (experimental 27, control 23) of a premature. data were collected using the structured questionaires twice as post tests. Various instruments were used in this study. POMS developed by Lee(1990) was used to measure the mothers' mood state, Mother and Baby Scales by Wolke et al (1987). results are as follows: 1. For the hypothesis test to see the effect of the social support intervention, the mean of the experimental group and the control group was compared by means of t-test and the following results are obtained. Hypothesis I. The mood state of mothers with social support intervention is more positive than that of the mothers without such intervention. was not statistically supported and thus discarded (t=.799, p=.429). However the mean scores were 49.68 and 51.38 for the experimantal and control group, respectively, indicating more positive mood for the experimental group. Hypothesis II. The maternal confidence of mothers with social support intervention is higher than that of the mothers without the tervention. was statistically supported (t=3.667, p=.001). 2. mean score of the mood state was highest before discharge (52.29), meaning most negative, declined to 49.68 shortly after the discharge, again increased a bit to 50.07 at four weeks after the discharge, and stabilized to 49.22 around six weeks after the discharge. On the other hand the mean score of the maternal confidence was continuously increased with time. In view of the above results, it is concluded that the social support intervention with a preprogrammed protocol has the definite positive effect on increasing the maternal confidence and positive effect on improving mother's mood state.】

Perceived Relationship With the Father of the Baby and Maternal Attachment in Adolescents

To examine the perceived relationship with the father of the baby and maternal attachment in pregnant adolescents. Exploratory, longitudinal, using a convenience sample. Four antepartum clinics for low-income women. Seventy-nine adolescents, ages 12-19 years, < 20 weeks gestation; follow-up assessments at 20-29 weeks (n = 64), 30-40 weeks (n = 54), and within 1 week after birth (n = 47). Chi-square analysis showed no differences in demographic characteristics or major variables of those who completed the study and those who dropped out (p > or = .89). An investigator-developed Father of the Baby Scale, Cranley's Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale, and Avant's Maternal Attachment Assessment Strategy. A close and satisfying relationship with the father of the baby was positively correlated with some aspects of maternal-fetal attachment (r = .24 to .33, p < .05) and maternal-infant attachment (r = .38, p < .05). The findings of this study lend tentative support to Rubin's theory of maternal identity formation. A close and satisfying relationship with the father of the baby has a positive influence on maternal attachment behaviors. Additional research related to the adolescent's relationship with the father of the baby is needed. Fathers of the babies of adolescent mothers should be included, where appropriate, in ongoing care of the mother and infant.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATERNAL ROLE ATTAINMENT AND POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between postpartum depressive symptoms and maternal role attainment. This study was part of a larger project using a nonrandomized, longitudinal, descriptive design. A convenience sample of 168 primiparous women in their last trimester of an uncomplicated pregnancy were recruited from community hospital-sponsored prenatal classes in central Illinois, and 136 women completed questionnaires 9-14 weeks after delivery. Postpartum depression was measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Three measures of maternal role attainment were the Myself as Mother Scale, My Baby Scale, and Perceived Competence Scale. Postpartum depression demonstrated a significant, negative relationship to all measures of maternal role attainment ( r =-.20 to-.35, p < .01). The occurrence of postpartum depression and its negative influence on maternal role attainment emphasize the need to assess all new mothers for depression 2-3 months after delivery.

Children's Understanding and Knowledge of Conception and Birth: A Developmental Approach

This study examined children's knowledge and understanding of conception and birth. The forty children interviewed were asked to verbally and pictorially answer two questions: “How are babies made?” and “How are babies born?” The children's responses were scored using two separate scales, the Origin of Babies Scale and the Children's Sexuality Awareness Scale. This study supports previous research which found that younger children received lower scores on the scales than older children. This research also found a relationship between parents providing their child with information about conception and birth and the child's score on the scales. The research supports previous findings that children's level of understanding about conception and birth appears to be developmentally based.

Development and validation of a simple device to estimate birthweight and screen for low birthweight in developing countries.

Low birthweight (less than 2500 g) is the major factor associated with the death of infants within the first 4 weeks of life. The mean birthweight of newborn babies of a certain geographic area reflects the quality of maternal and child health care service as well as the degree of socioeconomic development of that particular region. Hence, birthweight is being used increasingly as an indicator for health and socioeconomic planning. However, in a developing country such as Thailand, two-fifths of the babies are delivered at home and are not weighed because scales are not available. To solve this problem in rural areas, a circular nomographic chart was developed with which the birthweight can be computed from a newborn baby's chest and mid-arm circumferences. Preliminary trials comparing these charts with standard baby scales showed a high degree of accuracy with sufficient sensitivity and specificity.

‘Springtime in ayrshire’: Home weighing of neonates with a new direct recording scale

Regular weighing of babies and children is an important aspect of growth monitoring. Teaching Aids at Low Cost (TALC), a charity producing and distributing books, slide sets and growth monitoring equipment for health workers in developing countries, has recently launched a new type of simple spring balance. This uses a spring of comparable accuracy to those in more complex weighing scales, whose pointer can directly indicate a child's weight on its growth chart mounted on the scale frame. It is available in 0–5 and 0–17 kg versions. The scale is designed for home use by parents and health workers and may help to promote community understanding of growth monitoring. The original field testing of the ‘baby’ (0–5 kg) version of the scale was carried out by parents and health visitors in Ayrshire. The results have been used in the basic criticism of the scale for use in developing countries. It is suggested that the TALC baby scale may also be useful in community child care in the UK. The use of the scale in developing countries and its possible advantages there are discussed.