Paper Title

Mother-Father-Newborn Interaction: Effects of Maternal Medication, Labor, and Sex of Infant.

Keywords

Analysis of Variance
Anesthesiology
Comparative Analysis
Correlation
Fathers
Infant Behavior
Infants
Mothers
Observation
Parent-Child Relationship
Parent Influence
Parents
Reliability
Research Reports
Sedatives
Sex Differences
Maternal Medication
Labor
Parental Responsiveness
Social Interaction
Intellectual Development

Article Type

Book review

Publication Info

Volume: 7 | Pages: 85-86

Published On

September, 1972

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Abstract

A research study was conducted to: (1) compare mother and father interactions with their newborn infant; (2) examine the effects of maternal drugs on mother-father infant interaction; (3) explore the impact of variations in length of labor on parent interaction; and (4) examine sex of parent and sex of newborn interactions to determine the nature of parental responsiveness to newborns of different sexes. Ss were 19 Caucasian couples and their firstborn infants. Infants were normal and full term--9 males and 10 females. Amount and type of medication was recorded and rated according to effects on the infant. All observations took place in the mother's hospital room between 6 and 48 hours after delivery. An observer brought in the baby and asked to whom it should be given. During the 10-minute observation session, one male and one female observer recorded occurrences of parental or infant behavior. Results showed the father was twice as likely as the mother to hold the infant and equaled here in the extent to which he looked at, touched, and vocalized. Analysis of variance revealed that both mothers and fathers touched male babies significantly more than females. Product-moment correlations computed for mothers and fathers between the parental behaviors and medication level revealed that the amount of maternal medication altered the subsequent social interactions between the baby and his parents. Follow-up studies of the social interactions experienced by high- and low-drug babies may yield evidence of the impact of maternal medication on infants' intellectual development. (KM)