Neurobehaviors of Japanese newborns in relation to the characteristics of early mother-infant interaction.

The authors examined the relationship between newborn neurobehavioral profiles and the characteristics of early mother-infant interaction in Nagasaki, Japan. The authors administered the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS; T. B. Brazelton & J. K. Nugent, 1995) in the newborn period and the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale at 1 month (NCATS; G. Sumner & A. Spietz, 1994). They administered the Perceived Stress Scale (S. Cohen, T. Kamarck, & R. Mermelstein, 1983) as an index of maternal stress experienced over the past month. Lower irritability, higher stability in skin coloration, and lower tremulousness in the neonatal period were correlated with higher levels of maternal nurturing behaviors at 1 month. Birth weight and 2 NBAS range-of-state items (peak of excitement, irritability) predicted 31% of the variance in NCATS caregiver subscale score. The NBAS autonomic stability items (tremulousness, startles, lability of skin color) predicted 31% of the variance in the NCATS child subscale score. Perceived stress and maternal sociodemographic variables (education, income, age, parity) were not associated with child, caregiver, and total scores on the NCATS. The results suggested that lack of autonomic stability in Japanese neonates might serve as an early indicator of infant frailty, negative behavioral cues, and decreased maternal responsiveness.

Maternal confidence in China: association with infant neurobehaviors but not sociodemographic variables.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relations of sociodemographic factors and infant neurobehaviors to maternal confidence in China. METHODS: The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, Family APGAR, and Maternal Confidence in Caring for the Newborn scales were administered to 40 healthy, full-term neonates. RESULTS: Range and regulation of state, autonomic stability, and reflex cluster scores were positively correlated; the autonomic stability cluster score was negatively correlated with maternal confidence in meeting the infant's social and instrumental needs. Educational level, age, income, satisfaction with family conditions, and infant sex were not associated with maternal confidence. Range of state and autonomic stability cluster scores predicted maternal confidence. CONCLUSIONS: The infant's abilities to tolerate stimuli, and to be consoled, were associated with maternal confidence. Also, maternal confidence was related to the recognition of infant autonomic cues. Family and sociodemographic variables were not associated with maternal confidence. The sex of the newborn did not affect maternal confidence.

Using knowledge to cope with stress in the NICU: how parents integrate learning to read the physiologic and behavioral cues of the infant.

Parental stress in the NICU has at least a short-term impact on the establishment of the parent-child relationship and potential repercussions on long-term child development outcomes. One way to help parents mitigate stress is to help them learn what they need to know about their infant's condition and care. In this article, we examine how learning to read the infant's physiologic and behavioral cues helps parents cope with stress. We view parental learning as a process in which parents target specific domains of information for learning according to the temporal relevance of the domain to their concerns. It is important that we recognize the fluidity of the process and anticipate what parents need to learn at different times during hospitalization. The NICU staff assumes a crucial role in reducing parental stress by delivering information that is relevant to the parents' needs and by helping parents understand this information.