The influence of parental attachment and sensitivity on the psychomotor development of preterm-born children: a CARE-Index study

Introduction Research on families with preterm-born babies evidenced how parents with insecure attachment seem to have negative influence on the development of these children. The aim of this study is to confront precursors of attachment and parental sensitivity with the psychomotor psycho-motor development of the preterm-born child. Method 60 families with preterm-born children (<1500 gr) and a control group of 60 families with term-born children (>2500 gr) were studied, for 180 total subjects. Mother-Child and Father-Child couples were subjected to CARE-Index (Crittenden 1979-2004), a video-recorded procedure of parent-child interaction evaluating parental sensitivity and attachment forerunners. Both parents were subjected also to Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), CES-D and STAI Y-2. The child’s psychomotor development was assessed by the Bayley Scales (BSID III). Attachment assessment followed the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) criteria. Results and discussion Mothers of preterm children, compared to controls, evinced higher levels of anxiety (p <.05), lower scores on the dyadic sensitivity scale of the CARE-Index (p <.05) and more frequent insecure attachment forerunners (p <.01). Fathers of preterm children showed lower dyadic sensitivity scores (p <.01) and more frequent insecure attachment forerunners (p <.01). 40% of preterm mothers and 75% of preterm fathers fall into the high risk category of the CARE-Index (requiring psychological and/or pharmacological treatment). Insecure attachment forerunners and poor dyadic sensitivity in parents with preterm children were associated with lower scores on the psychomotor development of the children at 6 months of corrected age (p <.01) and this negative effect was evidenced even in parents with term children (p <.05). In the preterm family the results show insecure precursors of attachment and lower sensitivity skills that could influence the psychomotor development of the child. These data will be useful for the organization of specific programs for prevention and treatment.