Interactions between Mothers and their Premature American Indian Infants

说明(申请人提供)：意义：早产儿是发育迟缓和长期疾病的高危人群。先前的研究表明，母婴互动的质量对早产儿的发育结果有很大影响。几乎所有关于母亲和早产儿相互作用的研究都集中在描述白人和非裔美国人。因此，尽管早产率很高，但美洲印第安人之间的母婴互动仍然鲜为人知。描述美国印第安人母亲及其早产婴儿互动行为的研究将为制定促进这些儿童发展和健康的干预措施提供基础。培训计划：奖学金培训计划旨在通过正规课程、讲座、研讨会、道德培训和指导指导，增加我作为护理研究员在母婴健康和新生儿护理相关问题上的知识和技能。这种知识和经验的结合将有助于我在北卡罗来纳州的美国印第安人群体中进行与母婴健康相关的循证研究。具体目标：使用混合方法进行一项纵向研究，描述来自北卡罗来纳州东南部Lumbee部落的美国印第安人母亲及其早产婴儿的互动行为。他们的互动将被比作一群农村的非裔美国母亲和她们的早产婴儿。这项研究还将探索影响互动的因素，包括Lumbee母亲在新生儿重症监护病房(NICU)生下早产婴儿的反应，以及她们养育早产孩子的经验。长期目标：设计针对Lumbee母亲及其早产儿的护理干预措施，以降低儿童经历发育迟缓和长期疾病的可能性。与公共卫生的相关性：这项研究的结果将为护士提供关于Lumbee母亲和她们的早产儿之间互动质量的急需数据。这些知识在设计护理干预措施时可能很有用，这些干预措施考虑了受Lumbee文化影响的相互作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Significance: Premature infants are high-risk for developmental delays and long-term illnesses. Prior research has shown that developmental outcomes of prematurely born infants are significantly affected by the quality of maternal-infant interactions. Nearly all studies of mother-premature infant interactions have been focused on describing Whites and African Americans. As a result, mother-infant interactions among American Indians, despite high rates of prematurity, remains poorly understood. Research that describes the interactive behaviors of American Indians mothers and their prematurely born infants would provide a basis for developing interventions to promote the development and health of these children. Training Plan: The fellowship training plan is designed to increase my knowledge and skills as a nursing researcher on issues related to maternal-child health and neonatal nursing through formal coursework, lectures, seminars, ethics training, and guided mentorship. This combination of knowledge and experience will aid in my ability to conduct evidenced-based research related to maternal-child health among American Indian populations in North Carolina. Specific Aims: To conduct a longitudinal study using mixed methods to describe the interactive behaviors of American Indian mothers and their prematurely born infants from the Lumbee tribe in southeastern North Carolina. Their interactions will be compared to a group of rural African American mothers and their prematurely born infants. This study will also explore factors affecting interactions, including Lumbee mothers' responses to having a premature infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and their experiences in parenting their prematurely born children. Long-term Objectives: To design nursing interventions targeted at Lumbee mothers and their premature infants with poor quality interactions to reduce the likelihood of the child experiencing developmental delays and long-term illnesses. Relevance to Public Health: Findings from this study will provide nurses with much needed data regarding the quality of interactions between Lumbee mothers and their premature infants. This knowledge can be useful in designing nursing interventions that consider interactions influenced by the Lumbee culture.