Comparing the effects of neonatal intensive care unit intervention on premature infants at different weights

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of an intervention program in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on the development of premature infants from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Sixty premature infants born at a county hospital over an 8-month period and their mothers were the focus of this study. The infants were assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. The experimental group received teaching and reinforcement about their babies' behavior from a child development specialist when they visited the NICU. Of the initial 60 infants, 49 completed the study at 8 months, but because data from only the first born of twin pairs were used, 41 infants were included in the final analysis. Infants were divided into two weight groups: one below and one above 1500 g. There was a significant effect of the intervention on the infants' mental and motor scores at 4 and 8 months. Significant differences on the total Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) were noted between the groups. There were some significant differences between intervention and control groups on the interaction of the mother with the infant at 4 months but not in the play situation at 8 months. The lighter premature infants had a greater boost from the intervention than did the heavier premature infants. The intervention had no effect on the mother's perception of her infant's temperament or on her confidence skills. In line with other research findings, the infants who weighed less than 1500 g seemed to have benefited most from the intervention, and the effect of the intervention was most notable at 4 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)