The long range goal of this research program is to promote the healthy development of low birth weight infants through nursing interventions that will assist families to provide caregiving which is congruent with the neurobehavioral vulnerabilities of their high risk infants.
The specific aims of this phase of the research are threefold: (1) to determine how qualities of maternal touch may predict health outcomes for the infant, after accounting for variance in infant temperament, perinatal risk status, and gender: (2) to identify how family functioning and the mother- infant relationship may influence the qualities of touch used by mother, after accounting for variance in the infant's temperament, perinatal risk status, and gender; and (3) to determine the degree to which maternal mental health and demographics may influence qualities of touch and the mother-infant relationship. The longitudinal design will involve collection of data over a two year period from 180 infants of less than 2500 grams birthweight and their mothers. At the first week postnatal, demographic data, and infant measures of sensitivity to the environment, emotionality, and perinatal risk will be acquired through chart review, interview, and behavioral assessments. Beginning at one month postnatal, interviews with the mother regarding infant physical health will occur each month over the two years. At 3 and 6 months of age, videotapes of mothers and infants in feeding and teaching situations will enable microanalysis of location, action, intensity, duration, and frequency of maternal touch using the Tactile Interaction Index. Socioemotional characteristics of the mother-infant relationship will also be coded from the video tapes using the NCAST Teaching-Feeding Scales. The Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire, measures of family adaptability, cohesion, and coping, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire will also be given to mothers at these times. When the infant is 12 and 24 months, the infant's mental and socioemotional development will be assessed using the Mullen Scales of Cognitive and Psychomotor Development, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, the Attachment Q-Set, and Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist. Stepwise regression techniques will be employed to analyze the research aims.
| Weiss, Sandra J; St Jonn-Seed, Mary; Harris-Muchell, Carolyn (2007) The contribution of fetal drug exposure to temperament: potential teratogenic effects on neuropsychiatric risk. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 48:773-84 |
| Weiss, Sandra J; Wilson, Peggy (2006) Origins of tactile vulnerability in high-risk infants. Adv Neonatal Care 6:25-36 |
| Weiss, Sandra J; Jonn-Seed, Mary St; Wilson, Peggy (2004) The temperament of pre-term, low birth weight infants and its potential biological substrates. Res Nurs Health 27:392-402 |
| St Jonn-Seed, Mary; Weiss, Sandra (2002) Maternal expressed emotion as a predictor of emotional and behavioral problems in low birth weight children. Issues Ment Health Nurs 23:649-72 |
| Weiss, Sandra J; Seed, Mary St Jonn (2002) Precursors of mental health problems for low birth weight children: the salience of family environment during the first year of life. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 33:3-27 |
