Tuba Çelen Yoldaş1, Hasan Tolga Çelik2, Gökçenur Özdemir3, Jale Karakaya4, Elif Özmert3. 1. Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: tuba.celen@hacettepe.edu.tr. 2. Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ankara, Turkey. 3. Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Ankara, Turkey. 4. Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics, Ankara, Turkey.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The birth of a premature infant is both a stressful event for both parents and associated with an increased rate of postnatal depression (PND). Additionally some mothers may have delayed feelings of attachment to their babies because of the medical procedures or possible medical complications. Social support is known as an important factor for well-being in the postnatal period. However there is scarce data about these factors for fathers. We aimed to identify the impact of parental PND, attachment style and social support on premature infant development considering the prematurity degree and risk groups. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted by including 96 infants who were born preterm. Mothers and fathers were given Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Adult Attachment Style Scale (AASS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to fill out when their infants' corrected age was 3 months. The developmental evaluation was conducted with Bayley III at the corrected 6 months and 18 months of age. RESULTS: Postnatal depression scores were more in mothers than fathers, the rates of secure attachment and social support were similar between mothers and fathers. Factors associated with the neurodevelopmental outcomes including prematurity degree and risk groups, EPDS, AASS and MSPSS scores were analyzed for both parents. In multivariate analysis, fathers' depression scores were inversely associated with cognitive development (p = 0.030, R2 = 0.080, B=-0.283) and mothers' anxious/ambivalent attachment style was inversely associated with language development (p = 0.011, R2 = 0.108, B=-0.329) at the age of corrected 6 months old. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore that the efforts to improve developmental outcomes of premature infants should include parental well-being taking into account new fathers' depressive symptomatology and maternal anxious/ambivalent attachment.
BACKGROUND: The birth of a premature infant is both a stressful event for both parents and associated with an increased rate of postnatal depression (PND). Additionally some mothers may have delayed feelings of attachment to their babies because of the medical procedures or possible medical complications. Social support is known as an important factor for well-being in the postnatal period. However there is scarce data about these factors for fathers. We aimed to identify the impact of parental PND, attachment style and social support on premature infant development considering the prematurity degree and risk groups. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted by including 96 infants who were born preterm. Mothers and fathers were given Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Adult Attachment Style Scale (AASS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to fill out when their infants' corrected age was 3 months. The developmental evaluation was conducted with Bayley III at the corrected 6 months and 18 months of age. RESULTS:Postnatal depression scores were more in mothers than fathers, the rates of secure attachment and social support were similar between mothers and fathers. Factors associated with the neurodevelopmental outcomes including prematurity degree and risk groups, EPDS, AASS and MSPSS scores were analyzed for both parents. In multivariate analysis, fathers' depression scores were inversely associated with cognitive development (p = 0.030, R2 = 0.080, B=-0.283) and mothers' anxious/ambivalent attachment style was inversely associated with language development (p = 0.011, R2 = 0.108, B=-0.329) at the age of corrected 6 months old. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore that the efforts to improve developmental outcomes of premature infants should include parental well-being taking into account new fathers' depressive symptomatology and maternal anxious/ambivalent attachment.
Authors: Liisa Lehtonen; Siri Lilliesköld; Kris De Coen; Liis Toome; Ana Gimeno; Sylvia Caballero; Rasa Tameliene; Sabine Laroche; Jana Retpap; Hege Grundt; Marie-Rose Van Hoestenberghe; Caryl Skene; Bernd Pape; Anna Axelin Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2022-07-22