Daily Skin-to-Skin Contact, Sensitivity and Depressive Symptoms in Mothers of Full-Term Infants: Randomized Controlled Trial
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2020-01-29
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en
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Abstract
Most research on Skin-to-Skin contact (SSC) focusses on pre-term infants. Research on full term infants and especially sensitivity is not as far developed yet and especially randomized
controlled trials (RCT) are rare. The aim of this RCT was to investigate the influence of daily
SSC intervention on maternal sensitivity in comparison to care-as-usual (CAU) in healthy
mothers and their full-term infants. Also, the moderating role of prenatal depressive
symptoms was examined. In total, 116 healthy mothers and their full-term infants
participated in the study and SSC mothers were asked to practice one hour of SSC for the
first 5 weeks of an infant’s life. A regression analysis was performed twice. At first an
Intention-to-Treat (ITT) and second a Per-Protocol (PP) analysis. Results of the ITT analysis
showed no significant difference between the SSC and CAU group in means of sensitivity.
Prenatal depressive symptoms had no effect on the effectivity of the intervention. Results of
the PP analysis where only mothers that followed the adjusted protocol were selected showed
no difference between groups either. In this sample of healthy mothers and their full-term
infants, mothers who practiced SSC for an intervention period of 5 weeks were not more
sensitive towards their infants than mothers that provided CAU. There is need for more
research as this was the first RCT.
Keywords: skin-to-skin contact, maternal sensitivity, prenatal depressive symptoms,
full-term infant
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen