Sensitivity Training for Parents With Premature Infants

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally adapted version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program (MITP) among Chinese mothers with premature infants in public hospitals in Hong Kong.

Potential participants at two public hospitals in Hong Kong were identified by ward nurses. Mother-infant dyads with infants born at 36 weeks or earlier were assessed for eligibility. Data collection was conducted after obtaining written consent from the mothers. Mother-infant dyads who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to either the intervention or the treatment-as-usual control group. Each dyad was assessed at six time points, i.e., baseline, immediately after intervention/TAU, and when the infants were at the gestation-corrected ages of 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

All individual assessments were conducted by a clinical psychologist at the hospital who was blinded to the experimental condition of the participants.

Four sessions were delivered to the mothers one-on-one based on a manualized protocol while the infants were still in the neonatal intensive care units. These coaching sessions included psychological care for the mother and topics on recognizing premature infant's characteristics, understanding and recognizing signs of infant stress and infant's engagement and disengagement cues, principles of graded stimulation, and how to optimize interactions and avoid over-stimulating the infant.

For this group, infants and mothers received standard hospital care following the initial baseline assessment; these mothers were invited to ask questions about recommended ways to take care of their infants, but no specific knowledge or skills targeted by the adapted MITP program were taught

Maternal sensitivity and quality of mother-infant interaction measured by coding a 5-min video of mother-infant interaction. The coded variables are rated on a 5-point scale, and higher scores indicate higher maternal sensitivity and better interaction quality.

Maternal sensitivity and quality of mother-infant interaction measured by coding a 5-min video of mother-infant interaction. The coded variables are rated on a 5-point scale, and higher scores indicate higher maternal sensitivity and better interaction quality.

Maternal sensitivity and quality of mother-infant interaction measured by coding a 5-min video of mother-infant interaction. The coded variables are rated on a 5-point scale, and higher scores indicate higher maternal sensitivity and better interaction quality.

Maternal sensitivity and quality of mother-infant interaction measured by coding a 5-min video of mother-infant interaction. The coded variables are rated on a 5-point scale, and higher scores indicate higher maternal sensitivity and better interaction quality.

Maternal depression measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Possible scores range from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate higher levels of depression.

Maternal depression measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Possible scores range from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate higher levels of depression.

Maternal depression measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Possible scores range from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate higher levels of depression.

Maternal depression measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Possible scores range from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate higher levels of depression.

Parenting stress measured by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Possible scores range from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate higher levels of parenting stress.

Parenting stress measured by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Possible scores range from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate higher levels of parenting stress.

Parenting stress measured by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Possible scores range from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate higher levels of parenting stress.

Parenting stress measured by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Possible scores range from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate higher levels of parenting stress.

Infant's soothability based on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. A higher average score denotes higher soothability of the infant, and the highest possible score is 7.

Infant's soothability based on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. A higher average score denotes higher soothability of the infant, and the highest possible score is 7.

Infant's soothability based on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. A higher average score denotes higher soothability of the infant, and the highest possible score is 7.

Infant's soothability based on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. A higher average score denotes higher soothability of the infant, and the highest possible score is 7.

Measured by the Cognitive Battery of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development, which includes assessments in the cognitive, receptive language, and fine motor domains. Higher scores denote better performance in the assessments

Measured by the Cognitive Battery of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development, which includes assessments in the cognitive, receptive language, and fine motor domains. Higher scores denote better performance in the assessments

Measured by the Cognitive Battery of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development, which includes assessments in the cognitive, receptive language, and fine motor domains. Higher scores denote better performance in the assessments

Measured by the Cognitive Battery of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development, which includes assessments in the cognitive, receptive language, and fine motor domains. Higher scores denote better performance in the assessments

Inclusion Criteria: Mothers with premature infants born at 36 weeks or earlier Exclusion Criteria: insufficient spoken and written Chinese ability of the mother mother under 18 years of age triplets or higher multiples infants with congenital abnormalities (e.g., metabolic disorder, chromosomal disorder)

Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices)

Investigators whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee identified for this purpose.

Yu NKK, Shum KK, Lam YY, Kwan QKL, Ng SYP, Chan NTT. Sensitivity Training for Mothers With Premature Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Pediatr Psychol. 2022 Oct 19;47(10):1167-1184. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsac051.