This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (55)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Feldman, R.
Right arrow Articles by Weller, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Feldman, R.
Right arrow Articles by Weller, A.
Related Collections
Right arrow Premature & Newborn
PEDIATRICS Vol. 110 No. 1 July 2002, pp. 16-26

Comparison of Skin-to-Skin (Kangaroo) and Traditional Care: Parenting Outcomes and Preterm Infant Development

Ruth Feldman, PhD*, Arthur I. Eidelman, MD{ddagger}, Lea Sirota, MD§ and Aron Weller, PhD*

* Department of Psychology Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
{ddagger} Department of Neonatology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, and Department of Pediatrics, Hebrew University School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
§ Schneider Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Objective. To examine whether the kangaroo care (KC) intervention in premature infants affects parent–child interactions and infant development.

Methods. Seventy-three preterm infants who received KC in the neonatal intensive care unit were matched with 73 control infants who received standard incubator care for birth weight, gestational age (GA), medical severity, and demographics. At 37 weeks’ GA, mother–infant interaction, maternal depression, and mother perceptions were examined. At 3 months’ corrected age, infant temperament, maternal and paternal sensitivity, and the home environment (with the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment [HOME]) were observed. At 6 months’ corrected age, cognitive development was measured with the Bayley-II and mother–infant interaction was filmed. Seven clusters of outcomes were examined at 3 time periods: at 37 weeks’ GA, mother–infant interaction and maternal perceptions; at 3-month, HOME mothers, HOME fathers, and infant temperament; at 6 months, cognitive development and mother–infant interaction

Results. After KC, interactions were more positive at 37 weeks’ GA: mothers showed more positive affect, touch, and adaptation to infant cues, and infants showed more alertness and less gaze aversion. Mothers reported less depression and perceived infants as less abnormal. At 3 months, mothers and fathers of KC infants were more sensitive and provided a better home environment. At 6 months, KC mothers were more sensitive and infants scored higher on the Bayley Mental Developmental Index (KC: mean: 96.39; controls: mean: 91.81) and the Psychomotor Developmental Index (KC: mean: 85.47; controls: mean: 80.53).

Conclusions. KC had a significant positive impact on the infant’s perceptual-cognitive and motor development and on the parenting process. We speculate that KC has both a direct impact on infant development by contributing to neurophysiological organization and an indirect effect by improving parental mood, perceptions, and interactive behavior.

Key Words: Kangaroo Care • parent-infant interaction • maternal depression • fathers • Bayley • infant development

Abbreviations: KC, kangaroo care • SD, standard deviation • GA, gestational age • NICU, neonatal intensive care unit • CRIB, Clinical Risk Index for Babies • BDI, Beck Depression Index • NPI, Neonate Parental Inventory • HOME, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment • ICQ, Infant Characteristic Questionnaire • MDI, Mental Developmental Index • PDI, Psychomotor Developmental Index • MANOVA, multivariate analysis of variance

Received for publication Jul 26, 2001; Accepted Jan 9, 2002.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 NeoReviewsHome page
L. Furman
Does Providing Human Milk for Her Very Low-birthweight Infant Help the Mother?
NeoReviews, November 1, 2007; 8(11): e478 - e484.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed.Home page
C. Glazebrook, N. Marlow, C. Israel, T. Croudace, S. Johnson, I. R White, and A. Whitelaw
Randomised trial of a parenting intervention during neonatal intensive care
Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed., November 1, 2007; 92(6): F438 - F443.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Trop PediatrHome page
E. C. de Macedo, F. Cruvinel, K. Lukasova, and M. E. F. D'Antino
The Mood Variation in Mothers of Preterm Infants in Kangaroo Mother Care and Conventional Incubator Care
J Trop Pediatr, October 1, 2007; 53(5): 344 - 346.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Evid Based Complement Alternat MedHome page
K. Livingston, S. Beider, A. J. Kant, C. C. Gallardo, M. H. Joseph, and J. I. Gold
Touch and Massage for Medically Fragile Infants
Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., August 6, 2007; (2007) nem076v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeoReviewsHome page
J. C. Martinez
International Perspectives: Skin-to-skin Contact: A Paramount Contribution to the Modern Neonatal Paradigm
NeoReviews, February 1, 2007; 8(2): e55 - e57.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
A. M. Johnston, C. E. Bullock, J. E. Graham, M. C. Reilly, C. Rocha, R. D. Hoopes Jr, V. Van Der Meid, S. Gutierrez, and M. R. Abraham
Implementation and Case-Study Results of Potentially Better Practices for Family-Centered Care: The Family-Centered Care Map
Pediatrics, November 1, 2006; 118(Supplement_2): S108 - S114.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
R. Feldman and A. I. Eidelman
Neonatal State Organization, Neuromaturation, Mother-Infant Interaction, and Cognitive Development in Small-for-Gestational-Age Premature Infants
Pediatrics, September 1, 2006; 118(3): e869 - e878.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Pediatr PsycholHome page
J. V. Browne and A. Talmi
Family-Based Intervention to Enhance Infant-Parent Relationships in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
J. Pediatr. Psychol., December 1, 2005; 30(8): 667 - 677.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
R. Feldman and A. I. Eidelman
Does a Triplet Birth Pose a Special Risk for Infant Development? Assessing Cognitive Development in Relation to Intrauterine Growth and Mother-Infant Interaction Across the First 2 Years
Pediatrics, February 1, 2005; 115(2): 443 - 452.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeoReviewsHome page
A. G.S. Philip, M. Klaus, and J. H. Kennell
Historical Perspectives: Parents in the Preterm Nursery and Subsequent Evolution of Care
NeoReviews, October 1, 2004; 5(10): e397 - e405.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
S. G. Ferber and I. R. Makhoul
The Effect of Skin-to-Skin Contact (Kangaroo Care) Shortly After Birth on the Neurobehavioral Responses of the Term Newborn: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
Pediatrics, April 1, 2004; 113(4): 858 - 865.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
D. Sontheimer, C. B. Fischer, and K. E. Buch
Kangaroo Transport Instead of Incubator Transport
Pediatrics, April 1, 2004; 113(4): 920 - 923.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JWatch PediatricsHome page
Kangaroo Care of Premature Infants Offers Lasting Benefits
Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, August 12, 2002; 2002(812): 10 - 10.
[Full Text]