The purposes of this research are to 1) identify prenatal predictors of maternal role sufficiency among low income, non-Hispanic (non-immigrant) and low income, Hispanic mothers of infants, 2) determine whether prenatal study variables predict low birthweight with the same pattern that they predict maternal role sufficiency, 3) establish criteria for the selection of """"""""at risk"""""""" candidates for interventions designed to enhance maternal role sufficiency, 4) identify intervention methods evaluated as helpful by women who have been determined to be """"""""at risk"""""""" for problems with maternal role sufficiency and 5) design a model for intervention based on findings. The significance of a project designed to promote the understanding and support of maternal role sufficiency during infancy is underscored by President Bush's (1990) first Educational Goal for the Year 2000 that all children start school ready to learn, having received physical, social, emotional, and cognitive support during infancy that promotes later readiness for school. In Phase 1 of the study, four hundred women (200 non-Hispanic, 200 Hispanic) will complete prenatal measures of maternal childrearing history, perceived social support, stressful life circumstances, and maternal role expectations in their preferred language (English or Spanish). By means of medical chart audits at birth and home visits at 4 and 8 months infant age, birthweight, health promotion dimensions (eg. prenatal health care, prenatal die% prenatal smoking and alcohol use, infant diet and infant immunizations) and psychosocial dimensions (eg. sensitivity to infant cues, social, emotional and cognitive support for the infant) of maternal role sufficiency will be assessed. Data analyses for Phase 1 will include t-tests, chi-square, one-way Anova, canonical correlation and multiple regression. Based on findings of Phase 1, criteria for """"""""at risk """"""""status for maternal role sufficiency will be established in Phase 2. Subsequently, 60 """"""""at risk"""""""" women (30 nonHispanic, 30 Hispanic) from the Phase 1 sample will be interviewed during home visits to determine 1) their evaluation of the helpfulness of eight existing intervention methods (eg., nurse home visitation, resource mothers program, home-based health record) and 2) their recommendations for future helpful interventions. Content analysis, chi-square, Kendall's Tau will be used to analyze data in Phase 2. Based on findings, a model for intervention will be derived. Implications for practice, research, and policy will be disseminated.
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