ABSTRACT
The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered at 1 year of age to 54 healthy infants of adolescent mothers. Information was obtained regarding maternal cognitive and emotional maturity, child-rearing attitudes, attitudes toward the infant, and psychosocial status at one year. The average Bayley Mental Scale score was 113, and the average Bayley Motor Scale score was 105. There was a negative correlation between the Bayley Mental Scale score and maternal age and education. Bayley Motor Scale scores were predictable from a combination of maternal authoritarian attitudes, abuse potential, and infant's birth weight. Although high authoritarian attitudes in mothers have been associated with poor cognitive development at later ages, they may represent an important strength in adolescent mothers during the first year.
Subject(s)
Child Development , Maternal Behavior , Pregnancy in Adolescence , Adolescent , Authoritarianism , Birth Weight , Child Rearing , Cognition , Female , Humans , Infant , Motor Skills/physiology , Pregnancy , Psychosocial DeprivationABSTRACT
The interaction between the health care provider and the parent is recognized as vitally important in the delivery of high quality pediatric care. Attributes of the provider such as empathy, concern for the patient, understanding, and the amount of attention given to the parents' concerns have been found to relate to satisfaction with medical care. Instruments must be developed to assess these attributes in the interaction rather than measuring interviewing technique. The program and research staff of the Child Health Associate Program at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center modified the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory to evaluate trainees' interaction with parents of patients. This instrument, generally used in psychological settings, has been shown to be a reliable and sensitive tool to measure the perception of patients of the following practitioner qualities in a continual therapeutic relationship: empathic understanding, congruence, and level of regard. In this paper, the authors describe the modification and use of the inventory in acute care medical settings.