This study assessed a preventive intervention home visiting programme (Fussy Baby Network (FBN)) designed to support mothers struggling with infant crying, sleeping, or feeding concerns. Mothers were referred to the programme through local health- and social service providers and were eligible to participate in the study if they were age 18 or…

This article reviews the research base on the development of prenatal attachment and profiles four programs that foster this essential prenatal relationship: CenteringPregnancy®, the Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting program (PREPP), Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP), and Moms2B.

To test hypotheses concerning interactional histories associated with variation in quality of infant-mother attachment, data were gathered during naturalistic home observations of 60 infants 1, 3, and 9 months of age. Responses were elicited on the Ainsworth and Wittig strange situations. Results concerned mothers' relatively greater influence in…

This study evaluated the effects of completing infant development questionnaires on mothers whose ability to provide an appropriate caregiving environment for their infants was suspect. The 18 mothers who completed the questionnaire were found to be more accurate observers of their infants than 18 control mothers who had not completed the…

This article proposes that intuitive behaviors may be used to detect and resolve potential conflict in mother-infant relationships. Previewing, in which the caregiver introduces the infant to the physical sensations and interpersonal meaning of a new developmental skill, is suggested as a way of moving the mother-infant relationship in the…

Patterns of mothering and fathering in 72 families were observed longitudinally and from the perspective of the family system when infants were 1, 3, and 9 months old. Findings suggested similarities and differences in mothering and fathering. (Author/RH)

Examined the effects of a sensitivity intervention program on the Parenting by lower-class mothers of irritable infants. Found that intervention group mothers were significantly more responsive, stimulating, visually attentive, and controlling of their infant's behavior than were control-group mothers. Intervention infants had higher scores than…

Self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions of infant temperament, social and marital support, and parenting behavior of depressed and nondepressed mothers of infants were assessed. Maternal self-efficacy beliefs were related to maternal behavioral competence. When demographic variables were controlled for, self-efficacy correlated with maternal perception…

A theory of normal mother-infant relationship based on Margaret Mahler's theories is the basis of a treatment program for disturbed mother/infant relationships. This theory includes the concept of symbiosis which for the child is an undifferentiated condition, a fusion with the mother where the two have a common outward border, thereby protecting…

The Maternal Role Preparation project utilizes an occupational therapy approach to increasing maternal competence in first-time mothers. The four-session program covers topics concerning infants (attachment, sensory systems, developmental abilities) and mothers (the mothering role, physiological changes after childbirth, physical and psychological…

Thirty postpartum mothers were studied to determine the impact of early provision of support/education on developing parenting skills to prevent child abuse. An experimental group received special services from student nurses; compared to controls, the group later reported more realistic expectations of infant behavior and embraced more democratic…

This guide for teenage mothers discusses the needs of the mother and her child during the first year of the child's life. Information on the child's and the mother's behavior and emotions just after the child's birth is presented. Also presented is information on the following: procuring items needed for tending the baby; playing; crying; breast…

Project TEAM (Team Education for Adolescent Mothers) is a support program designed to counteract the socioeconomic consequences of early childbearing, by developing a model for providing high-quality care services for pregnant adolescents, adolescent parents, their infants, and their extended families. The project has four site locations:…

A teen mother is likely to be out of school for several weeks following childbirth and will probably spend many hours caring for and bonding with her child. Schools may take this opportunity to allow her to earn elective school credit. This document is comprised of a textbook for use in such a course, a study guide, and a teacher's guide. The…