Interactions between Mothers and their Premature American Indian Infants

描述（由申请人提供）：意义：早产儿是发育迟缓和长期疾病的高风险。先前的研究表明，早产儿的发育结果受到母婴互动质量的显著影响。几乎所有关于母亲与早产儿互动的研究都集中在描述白人和非洲裔美国人。因此，尽管早产率很高，但对美洲印第安人的母婴互动仍然知之甚少。描述美国印第安人母亲及其早产儿互动行为的研究将为制定干预措施以促进这些儿童的发育和健康提供基础。培训计划：奖学金培训计划旨在通过正式的课程，讲座，研讨会，道德培训和指导导师，提高我作为母婴健康和新生儿护理相关问题的护理研究员的知识和技能。这种知识和经验的结合将有助于我的能力，进行实证研究，在北卡罗来纳州的美洲印第安人人群中的母婴健康。具体目标：采用混合方法进行纵向研究，描述美国印第安母亲和早产儿的互动行为，从东南部北卡罗来纳州的Lumbee部落。他们的互动将被比作一组农村的非裔美国母亲和他们的早产儿。本研究还将探讨影响互动的因素，包括Lumbee母亲对新生儿重症监护室（NICU）中早产儿的反应以及他们养育早产儿的经验。长期目标：设计针对Lumbee母亲及其早产儿的护理干预措施，以减少儿童出现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母亲和早产儿之间互动质量的急需数据。这方面的知识可以是有用的，在设计护理干预措施，考虑相互作用的Lumbee文化的影响。

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.