Mothers Of Preterm Children Research Articles

Prevention of Child Maltreatment: Integrative Review of Findings From an Evidence-Based Parenting Program.

This integrative review of the ACT Raising Safe Kids (ACT)-child maltreatment prevention program for parents-focuses on the program's theoretical framework, examines the ACT studies about the effects on caregivers, and discusses the ACT's implications for the practice and public policy. A systematic search of the PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Lilacs databases was performed, along with a search on the ACT Program website and contacting program researchers. Twenty-five studies evaluating the ACT Program were reviewed. The evaluation studies were conducted in the United States, Brazil, Portugal, and Peru. The program improved parenting practices in general and targeted populations such as incarcerated parents, mothers with a history of childhood violence, and mothers of preterm children. Additionally, the program was effective in decreasing child behavioral problems. Overall, the ACT Program effectively decreased hostile, aggressive, and coercive parenting and child behavior problems, which are key predictors of family violence.

Mental Disorders Among Mothers of Children Born Preterm: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Canada.

Our aim was to examine the association between preterm delivery and incident maternal mental disorders using a population-based cohort of mothers in Canada. Retrospective matched cohort study using Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) administrative data in Manitoba. Mothers who delivered preterm babies (<37 weeks gestational age) between 1998 and 2013 were matched 1:5 to mothers of term babies using socio-demographic variables. Primary outcome was any incident mental disorder within 5 years of delivery defined as any of (a) mood and anxiety disorders, (b) psychotic disorders, (c) substance use disorders, and (d) suicide or suicide attempts. Multivariable Poisson regression model was used to estimate the 5-year adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Mothers of preterm children (N = 5,361) had similar incidence rates of any mental disorder (17.4% vs. 16.6%, IRR = 0.99, 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.07) compared to mothers of term children (N = 24,932). Mothers of term children had a higher rate of any mental disorder in the first year while mothers of preterm children had higher rates from 2 to 5 years. Being the mother of a child born <28 week (IRR = 1.5, 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.04), but not 28-33 weeks (IRR = 1.03, 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.19) or 34-36 weeks (IRR = 0.96, 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.05), was associated with any mental disorder. Mothers of preterm and term children had similar rates of incident mental disorders within 5-years post-delivery. Extreme prematurity was a risk factor for any mental disorder. Targeted screening and support of this latter group may be beneficial.

Emotional and behavioural difficulties and quality of life of preterm children at 2 years regarding parental mental health

ABSTRACT Preterm birth consequences may lead to developmental deficits, psychiatric disorders and may also cause parental mental health problems. Our aim was to describe quality of life and internalizing-externalizing behaviours of preterm children at 2 years regarding parental mental health. 112 mothers of preterm children provided the following information: pediatric quality of life, internalizing-externalizing behaviours, maternal perceived stress, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life. Regarding emotional and behavioural problems and low quality of life, risk factors are lower birthweight, neonatal morbidities and lower socioeconomic status. Mothers with higher stress, more anxiety and depression symptoms and lower satisfaction with life reported more internalizing-externalizing behaviours and lower quality of life about their children. Among low birthweight children, conduct and hyperactivity problems are the most common at 2 years old. We emphasize the importance of parental mental health and the need forearly prevention and intervention in order to minimalize the burden of hyperactivity symptoms.

Maternal interactive beliefs and style as predictors of language development in preterm and full term children.

Previous research has shown that the quality of mother-child interactions between pre-term children and their mothers tends to be poorer than that of full-term children and their mothers (Forcada-Guex, Pierrehumbert, Borghini, Moessinger & Muller-Nix, 2006). Mothers of pre-term children are less responsive and more intrusive in interactions with their children than mothers of full-term children (Forcada-Guex et al., 2006; Ionio, Lista, Mascheroni, Olivari, Confalonieri, Mastrangelo, Brazzoduro, Balestriero, Banfi, Bonanomi, Bova, Castoldi, Colombo, Introvini & Scelsa, 2017; Laing, McMahon, Ungerer, Taylor, Badawi & Spence, 2010). The current research explored differences between mothers of pre-term and full-term children in terms of interactive beliefs and style, and the potential for language development to be differentially predicted by maternal interactive beliefs and styles in pre-term versus full-term children. Independent t-tests were conducted to compare pre-term and full-term groups in relation to the measures of maternal interactive beliefs and styles. A series of multiple regression analyses were then performed separately for each group to examine the shared and unique contributions of maternal interactive beliefs and styles on full-term versus pre-term children's language development. The results showed that mothers of pre-term children were more intrusive-directive than mothers of full-term children; in contrast, mothers of full-term children were more responsive and supportive-directive in interactions with their children. Moreover, predictors of language development were different in full-term versus pre-term children; in full-term children, maternal supportive beliefs and responsiveness were significant predictors of language development evaluated by both the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory; in the pre-term group, maternal supportive and directive beliefs, as well as supportive and intrusive directiveness, were significant predictors, with the latter being negatively associated with language development indicators. This research can shed light on how to prevent language delay in children and improve mother-child interactions that contribute to language development, which may in turn improve language development in vulnerable children, children born pre-term in particular.

Mother’s perception of preterm preschoolers in a sample of Polish women

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of prematurity on a mother’s perception of her preschool child. Background: Several studies revealed that preterm birth, which interrupts the processes of preparation for motherhood, can contribute to a more negative view of the child, formation of maladaptive parental beliefs, and distorted or disengaged child representations. However, little is known about the impact of preterm birth and a neonate’s maturity at birth on the mother’s perception of her preschool-aged child. Methods: The study included 97 Polish mothers of preterm children and 114 mothers of full-term children, surveyed with a semi-structured interview. A child’s cognitive development was assessed as well, in order to control the results for potential influence of any developmental delay. Results: Maternal characteristics of full-term children were dominated by the offspring’s strengths. In contrast, the mothers of preterm children reported a similar number of strengths and weaknesses in their offspring. Mothers of children born between the 29th and 32nd week of gestation (n = 45) identified the smallest number of strengths in their offspring. A child’s cognitive development did not correlate with the quality of the mother’s description. Conclusions: The findings of this study confirm that the experience of premature birth still affects a mother’s perception of her child in his/her preschool years, even when the child does not experience any major developmental problems.

Six-week postnatal depression predicts parenting stress profiles in mothers of preterm children

Objective : This study examined the relationship between maternal postnatal depression (PND) at 6 weeks and first-year parenting stress for mothers of very preterm (gestation < 32 weeks) singleton children. Background: PND is reported as a strong predictor of parenting stress, but few studies examine the effectiveness of parenting interventions according to PND status. In the preterm population, the differential benefit mothers with PND experience from parenting interventions is also unclear. Methods: Validated questionnaires were used to collect information on both PND at 6 weeks and first-year parenting stress from 123 mothers of very preterm singleton children. Results: After adjusting for baseline birth and social risks, mothers who had PND at 6 weeks were more likely to experience parenting stress (OR 3.6, 95%CI 1.2, 12, p = 0.03) and have higher parental distress (OR 5.5, 95%CI 1.6, 18.0, p < 0.01) during the first postpartum year. Conclusion: When assessing the benefits of parenting interventions in reducing parenting stress, the effects of early PND in mothers of preterm infants should not be underestimated.

Responses to pain in school-aged children with experience in a neonatal intensive care unit: Cognitive aspects and maternal influences

Previously, it was shown that school-aged (9–14 yr) preterm and fullterm children with neonatal pain exposure exhibit elevated heat pain thresholds and heightened perceptual sensitization to tonic painful heat when tested under standard conditions [Hermann C, Hohmeister J, Demirakca S, Zohsel K, Flor H. Long-term alteration of pain sensitivity in school-aged children with early pain experiences. Pain 2006;125:278–85]. Here, changes in the psychosocial context of pain responses in these children, who had been hospitalized ⩾7 days after birth including ⩾3 days of treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), are reported. Nineteen preterm (⩽31 weeks gestational age) and 20 fullterm children (⩾37 weeks gestational age) with NICU experience, recruited retrospectively and selected based on strict exclusion criteria, and 20 fullterm control children participated. Preterm NICU children endorsed more pain catastrophizing as compared to controls. Mothers of preterm children, who had been more severely ill and had been hospitalized longer than fullterm NICU children, were more likely to engage in solicitous pain-related behavior. Maternal influence was also assessed by comparing heat pain thresholds and perceptual sensitization to tonic painful heat obtained in the presence versus absence (i.e. standard testing conditions) of the mother. In all three groups, maternal presence was associated with increased heat pain thresholds. Control children habituated significantly more to tonic heat when their mother was present. The NICU children showed overall significantly less habituation than the controls; there was no modulating effect of maternal presence. Especially in highly vulnerable children such as preterms, neonatal pain exposure and prolonged hospitalization may, aside from neuronal plasticity, promote maladaptive pain-related cognitions and foster parental behavior that reinforces the child’s pain response.