Effect of early skin-to-skin contact on mother-preterm infant interaction through 18 months: randomized controlled trial.

Background: Preterm birth often negatively influences mother-infant interaction. Skin-to-skin contact postbirth has positive effects on maternal feelings toward their preterm infants and on infant development and family interaction. However, little is known about the long-term effects of skin-to-skin contact on mother-late preterm infant interaction when skin-to-skin contact was experienced early postbirth and intermittently throughout the next five days.

Objective: The purpose of this report was to examine the effect of skin-to-skin contact on mother-late preterm infant interaction through 18 months.

Design: Randomized controlled trial with follow-up.

Setting: Two hospitals in the United States of America.

Participants: 100 mothers and their late preterm infants, 32 to <37 weeks' gestation, were recruited. Mother-preterm infant interactions were assessed in 69, 70, and 76 dyads at 6, 12, and 18 months.

Methods: Mothers and their preterm infants were videotaped during a feeding session at 6 and 12 months, and a teaching session at 6, 12, and 18 months. Their interactions were then scored using the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Feeding Scale and Teaching Scale.

Results: Skin-to-skin contact and control dyads had comparable feeding scores at 6 and 12 months. Skin-to-skin contact infants had lower infant teaching scores at six months, a difference that disappeared thereafter.

Conclusions: These inconclusive results call for additional studies with larger doses of skin-to-skin contact, larger sample sizes, and other outcome measures of mother-late preterm infant interactions. Such measures include the Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment and behavioral coding during play.