Understanding Late Preterm Mothers and Infants

描述（由申请人提供）：晚期早产儿占早产人口的70%，占所有出生人口的9%。直到最近，晚期早产儿一直被当作小婴儿或早产儿来照顾。随着晚期早产婴儿数量的增加，与晚期早产相关的风险变得明显。研究表明，在妊娠34至37周出生的婴儿中，出生后再入院率增加，随访次数增加，学习能力延迟。需要更多的研究来增加我们对这些负面结果发生的原因的理解。尽管这群婴儿被描述为“只是有点小”，但他们的需求远远大于尺寸。晚期早产儿的代偿资源有限，在新生儿早期迅速耗尽，使婴儿面临体温不稳定、低血糖、呼吸窘迫和败血症的风险。大脑的生长和发育在怀孕38周之前处于关键点。此外，吮吸/吞咽/呼吸的能力和调节睡眠-觉醒状态的能力也未得到充分发展。这些行为和无能可能导致母亲对婴儿气质的看法发生改变，并增加了婴儿脆弱性的感觉。母亲对婴儿的感知有助于提高母亲的能力，对母亲照顾婴儿、解读婴儿暗示和获得母亲角色满意度的能力至关重要。这些观念有助于儿童的发展。本研究的具体目的是检查母亲的能力，在母亲的晚期早产儿的母亲相比，足月婴儿的母亲。还将检查与母亲能力相关的因素，包括母亲能力的前因（社会支持、自尊、幸福感、压力和情绪）和母亲对婴儿的看法，这些看法可能有助于能力（婴儿气质和脆弱性的看法）。将采用非实验性横断面重复测量设计，方便样本为160名母亲/婴儿对（80名晚期早产儿的母亲和80名足月婴儿及其婴儿的母亲），共320名参与者。将在2个时间点（产后出院前和产后6周）收集数据。将计算描述性和推断性统计量。还将在两个时间点使用配对T检验和重复测量ANOVA检查结果。 越来越多的婴儿出生在早产后期，但我们不太了解这些婴儿的母亲如何培养适合他们需要的育儿技能。了解是什么影响了母亲与晚期早产儿的关系，将有助于改善对这些母亲及其婴儿的护理。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Late preterm infants account for 70% of the preterm population and 9% of all births. Until recently late preterm infants have been cared for as either small term infants or as preterm infants. As the numbers of infants born in the late preterm period increases, the risks associated with late preterm birth have become apparent. Studies indicate increasing readmission rates following birth, increased follow up visits and delayed academic abilities in infants born between 34 and 37 weeks gestation. More research is needed to increase our understanding of why these negative outcomes are occurring. Even though this group of infants has been described as "just a little small" their needs are much greater than size. Late preterm infants have limited compensatory resources that are depleted rapidly in the early newborn period placing the infant at risk of temperature instability, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, and sepsis. Brain growth and development are at critical points prior to 38 weeks gestation. In addition the ability to suck/swallow/breathe and the ability to regulate sleep-wake state are under developed. These behaviors and inabilities may contribute to altered maternal perception of the infant's temperament and an increased sense of infant vulnerability. Maternal perception of the infant contributes to maternal competence and is vital to the mother's ability to care for her infant, read infant cues, and gain satisfaction in the role as mother. These perceptions contribute to the child's development. The specific aim of this study is to examine maternal perception of competence in mothers of late preterm infants compare to mothers of term infants. Factors associated with maternal competence, including antecedents to maternal competence (social support, self- esteem, well-being, stress and mood) and maternal perceptions of the infant that may contribute to competence (infant temperament and perception of vulnerability) will also be examined. A non-experimental cross-sectional, repeated measures design with a convenience sample of 160 mother/infant dyads (80 mother of late preterm infants and 80 mothers of term infants and their infants) for a total of 320 participants will be used. Data will be collected at 2 time points (postpartum prior to discharge from the hospital and at 6 weeks postpartum). Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be calculated. Findings will also be examined using paired T-test and repeated measures ANOVA at both time points. More infants are being born in the late preterm period but we do not know much about how mothers of these infants develop mothering skills appropriate for their needs. Understanding what affects the mother-late preterm infant relationship will result in improved care for these mothers and their infants.