Levels of parental relatedness can affect offspring survival and susceptibility to disease. We investigated parental relatedness of live and dead Halichoerus grypus pups between and within island populations and between possible causes of mortality. Nine microsatellites were used to calculate internal relatedness (IR) and standardized mean d2. We find that ...

To assess the pattern of infant carrying across time and family members, we counted which animals in 13 well-established family groups of captive-bred marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) carried neonates during the first 8 weeks of life. The neonates were carried almost continuously for the first 3 weeks and then spent progressively ...

AIM: To evaluate Turkish parents' experience about their infants' teething; which symptoms they have seen and attributed to teething and how they have acted to manage these symptoms. METHODS: A questionnaire form was applied by face-to-face interview to 335 families who have children less than 18 months of age and ...

The child with a fever (or a reported fever, as in this case) has a wide range of potential illnesses that must be considered. The pediatric community approaches children in three age groups: those younger than three months, those between 3-24 months, and those over 24 months. Those under three ...

Parental report may provide an inexpensive alternative to standardized assessments of children's development. We have adapted and validated a parental questionnaire on cognitive development for use with very preterm infants. Sixty-four 2-year-olds (28 males, 36 females) born less than 30 weeks' gestation (median 28.5 weeks, range 23 to 31 weeks), ...

This article addresses general principles of designing a quiet neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and describes basic aspects of room acoustics as these apply to the NICU. Recommended acoustical criteria for walls, background noise, vibration, and reverberation are included as appendices. Crowding in open, multiple-bed NICUs is the major factor ...

An asymptomatic swelling was noted in the area of the left anterior maxilla of this two-month old infant by the child's parents. The swelling apparently was of rapid onset since the pediatrician at the one-month well baby check-up did not note it. The swelling caused an elevation of the left ...

The authors examined the contributions of infant's temperament and parent's personality to their relationship. In Study 1, 102 infants, mothers, and fathers were studied when infants were 7 months; in Study 2, 112 infants and mothers were followed from 9 to 45 months. Infants' temperament (joy, fear, anger, and attention) ...

AIMS: To establish whether development of eczema is influenced by feeding practices in preterm infants, while taking account of confounding factors. METHODS: Data were assembled from 257 infants born prematurely and studied to 12 months post-term. Logistic regression analysis was performed to establish the association between feeding practices and eczema, ...

OBJECTIVE: Social learning has been identified as a factor that increases vulnerability to the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study aimed to distinguish between child-mediated and parent-mediated modes of transmission of illness behavior. The reporting of infants' symptoms and treatment seeking for these symptoms, by mothers, was examined ...

Single-mother, cohabiting 2-parent, and married 2-parent families with infants were compared on maternal and infant behavior, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores, and infant's security of attachment. Married mothers and their infants demonstrated more positive behavior and received higher HOME scores when the infant was 6 and ...

This study examined whether individual differences in perception of the quality of professional support available at a time of stress may be associated with security of attachment. We developed a new measure of parents' perceptions of emotional and practical support provided by a wide range of professionals involved in the ...

Maternal attributions and child neonatal status at birth were assessed as predictors of infant maltreatment (harsh parenting and safety neglect). The population included low-income, low-education families who were primarily Hispanic. Child maltreatment during the 1st year of life (N = 73) was predicted by neonatal status (low Apgar scores, preterm ...

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is 2 to 3 times higher in the black population compared with the US population as a whole. Prone sleeping is also twice as prevalent in black infants. Standard modes of communication (media, brochures) regarding the Back to Sleep (BTS) campaign ...

PURPOSE: This report describes parenting stress experienced by mothers of preterm infants following hospital discharge. SUBJECTS: Twenty-nine mothers and their preterm infants were included in the analysis. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was conducted using a descriptive and exploratory single group design. The analysis included 29 mothers of preterm infants, ...

Fifty families participated in mother- and father-infant still-face interaction at infant ages 3 and 6 months as part of a study of affect in early parent-infant relationships. Infants' positive and negative affect and parents' positive affect and physical play were coded from videotapes. Consistent with previous research, during the normal ...

Despite numerous advances in the recognition, assessment, and management of pain in neonates over the past two decades, there has been limited improvement in the knowledge base regarding parental responses to their infant's pain. This study examined parents' views of their experiences observing and coping with their infant's pain in ...

Sixty-six male infants participating in the Ben-Gurion Infant Development Study of familial risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were assessed at 7 months of age using observational and mother report measures. Risk for ADHD was based on ADHD symptoms in the father. Infants whose fathers had seven or more ...

In this sample of 66 dual-earner mothers and fathers and their 1-year-old infants, associations among parental ratings of infant difficulty, parental perceived control over caregiving outcomes, and parental sensitive and directive behavior were examined during a triadic free-play session in the home. Perceived infant difficulty was related to maternal directiveness ...

Circumcision of newborn male infants is widely practiced but controversial. Our experience gained circumcising 205 Jamaican neonates, using the Plastibell device is presented. Circumcisions, were requested by parents usually for hygienic reasons, and were brief outpatient procedures. Subcutaneous penile ring block with 1% lidocaine provided the most effective form of ...

This study investigated what are the main reasons that led parents to enroll children in a clinic for infants. This was studied by consulting 1368 records during the period from July 1996 to August 2001. The predominant reason for enrolling was orientation/prevention followed by "other" and treatment. This study demonstrated ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe parent views on infant pain care and to explore relations between parents' experience of their infant's pain care and parental stress. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross sectional survey. SETTING: Nine neonatal units (196 parents) in the United Kingdom and two neonatal units in the United States (61 parents). PARTICIPANTS: ...

BACKGROUND: Despite blatant indications, such as behavioural and contextual cues, infant pain is often undermanaged by adult caretakers. The belief that infants are limited in their abilities to comprehend the meaning of an experience or recall that experience has been used to minimize or deny the need for intervention in ...

In this article, recent research on parenting behaviors associated with infant attachment disorganization is summarized and applied to a parent-infant psychotherapy case. Both hostile/self-referential and helpless-fearful patterns of parentingare described and viewed theoretically as alternate aspects of a single hostile-helpless internal working model of attachment relationships. The case material focuses ...

Families of preterm infants need a tremendous amount of support. This resource column highlights several Web sites that may be useful to health care providers and childbirth educators, as well as to parents of premature infants and their families.

Parent-infant communication has long-lasting effects on the development of a peaceful and healthy child, adult, and society. Childbirth education classes offer the perfect setting for teaching parents how to recognize and respond to their infant's cues. This column provides a list of potential learning tasks for parents and their infants ...

In the Baby CareLink system, information prescription plays an important role in preparing parents of premature infants for the eventual discharge to home of their children. However, the prescription process requires scarce clinician time in order to dispense information, and can become cumbersome as content bases grow in size. We ...

Extensive research of the long-term outcomes of premature infants has shown significant risk for emotional, behavioral, and psychological problems. Chronic stress and trauma have not been researched specifically in this population, however, studies of the neurobiological impact of traumatic stress on infants and children in the general population show noteworthy ...

Increasing evidence suggests that parental allergic status, especially that of the mother, may play a unique and important role in influencing the development of fetal infant immune responses to inhaled allergens, independently of genetic predisposition. We have developed an experimental model in dogs where the offspring from allergic parents, when ...

BACKGROUND: To determine whether a randomized clinical trial, the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study, comparing intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with contact lens (CL) correction for infants with a unilateral congenital cataract (UCC), is feasible by (1) ascertaining whether American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) members have equipoise regarding these ...

The process of development and testing of the Lang and Goulet Hardiness Scale (LGHS), a self-report instrument designed to measure hardiness in bereaved parents following the death of their fetus/infant, is presented. Hardiness is a personal resource, composed of 3 interdependent components that are characterized by a sense of personal ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether or not a correlation exists between antenatal consultations and parental anxiety. STUDY DESIGN: In total, 31 couples undergoing prenatal consultation after a diagnosis of a surgically correctable anomaly were asked to fill in a questionnaire (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) measuring anxiety levels (AL) both after the ...

We present a novel evolutionary analysis of low birth weight (LBW). LBW is a well-known risk factor for increased infant morbidity and mortality. Its causes, however, remain obscure and there is a vital need for new approaches. Life history theory, the most dynamic branch of evolutionary ecology, provides important insights ...

AIM: To determine the reasons for the possible overuse of antibiotics by investigating whether family-related medical, behavioural, emotional, and social risk factors during the mother's pregnancy and childbirth are associated with subsequent recurrent antibiotic therapy of infants. METHODS: Subject selection was based on stratified randomized cluster sampling. A total of ...

BACKGROUND: Expectations for infant sleep development and for the appropriate degree of parental proximity for infant sleep are culturally weighted and historically shifting aspects of parenting behavior, and are known to affect breastfeeding prevalence and duration. This paper examined how new parents managed night-time feeding in the first 4 months, ...

OBJECTIVES: Hypophosphatasia is an inherited disorder characterized by defective bone mineralization and deficiency of tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) activity. This disorder is caused by various mutations in the TNSALP gene. We report here hypophosphatasia in two siblings, both of them severely affected by the perinatal (lethal) type. METHODS: We ...

PURPOSE: To describe a family-centered intervention for sleep disturbed infants and its effect on the infants' sleep pattern. METHODS: The sample consisted of 33 infants (6-23 month of age) hospitalized because of sleep problems in The City Hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland, and 33 mothers and 30 fathers. Infants' sleep patterns ...

AIM: To determine whether oesophageal pH monitoring in infants induces changes in daily activity and feeding, and with the help of a questionnaire to evaluate how parents perceive pH monitoring. METHODS: The parents of 100 children, consecutively referred for oesophageal pH monitoring, were asked by one of the authors (A.A.) ...

This study examined infant response and recovery from a social challenge and parent responses. Behavioral and physiological responses were measured from forty-three 5- and 6-month-olds infants during a modified still-face procedure that used an additional still-face reunion sequence. Results confirm the hypothesis that infants of more responsive parents show more ...

BACKGROUND: Progress in perinatal medicine has made it possible to increase the survival of very or extremely low birthweight infants. Developmental outcomes of surviving preterm infants have been analysed at the paediatric, neurological, cognitive, and behavioural levels, and a series of perinatal and environmental risk factors have been identified. The ...

A survey was carried out of Swedish neonatal end-of-life regarding practice before birth, at birth, during dying and after death using a descriptive questionnaire with close-ended questions and individual comments. The practice in 32 of 38 neonatal units, as described by the head nurse or the registered nurses, was largely ...

The aim of the present study was to explore the attributional processes and the effect of various causal attributions on post-traumatic symptomatology among 110 parents who had lost an infant. The attributional processes were examined with longitudinal data collected over 12 months. One to four weeks post-loss, approximately half of ...

The postpartum period is a sensitive time due to the presence and demands of the developing infant. The care provided by a mother to her infant during this period may be compromised if she is suffering from postnatal depression or postpartum psychosis. Evidence has been emerging which suggests that postnatal ...

Cerebral infarction of newborn infants is a rare condition. It remains the least predictable etiology of neonatal seizures, and the appreciation of its occurrence among physicians needs to be re-addressed. The most common presenting feature is seizure. We report 2 full term newborn infants who developed middle cerebral infarction. These ...

BACKGROUND: The birth of a preterm infant has a long-term impact on both parents. Mothers report more stress and poor adjustment compared with fathers. Influencing factors, such as family situation and health status of the child, can support or weaken the coping ability of the parents. Studies on experiences of ...

The birth of a very small preterm infant (< or = 1500 grams) can be a traumatizing experience for many parents. A developmental risk model is presented that is the background to an early attachment-oriented preventive psychotherapeutic intervention. This comprehensive parent-centered intervention program is composed of supportive group psychotherapy, attachment-oriented ...

This paper uses survival analysis to examine three large-scale, multi-site, randomized, controlled programs that attempted to prevent or delay second births to teenagers. Statistically significant differences in the hypothesized direction were found between the intervention and the control groups in the Elmira and Memphis Home Visitation sites. No statistically significant ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the physiological stability and behavioral effects of co-bedding with those of single-bedding premature multiple-gestation infants in incubators as well as the psychological effects on their parents. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, repeated measure. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 16 infants and 8 parents in the co-bedded group, and 21 infants ...

Infant massage therapy is an inexpensive tool that should be utilized as part of the developmental care of the preterm infant. Nurses have been hesitant to begin massage therapy for fear of overstimulating the infant and because there has been insufficient research to prove its safety. Recent research, however, has ...

The threatened birth of an extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW) and gestational age infant presents complex medical, social and ethical issues for the family and the health professionals. Improved survival may be accompanied by increased risks of chronic medical problems and neurodevelopmental disabilities. It is difficult to define "how small is too small" ...