Article

AIM: To determine whether, in an impoverished South African community, an
intervention that benefitted infant attachment also benefitted cognitive
development. METHOD: Pregnant females were randomized to intervention
(n=220) and
no-treatment control groups (n=229). The intervention was home-based parenting
support for attachment, delivered until 6 months postpartum.
At 18 months,
infants were assessed on attachment and cognitive development (Bayley Scales
Mental Development Index [MDI]) (n=127 intervention, n=136 control participants).
Infant MDI was examined in relation to intervention, socio-economic risk,
antenatal depression, and infant sex and attachment.
RESULTS: Overall, there was
little effect of the intervention on MDI (p=0.094, d=0.20), but there was an
interaction between intervention and risk (p=0.03, etap2=0.02). MDI scores of
infants of lower risk intervention group mothers were, on average, 4.84 points
higher than those of other infants (p=0.002, d=0.41). Antenatal depression was
not significant once intervention and risk were controlled (p=0.08); there was no
association between infant MDI and either sex (p=0.41) or attachment (p=0.56).
INTERPRETATION: Parenting interventions for infant cognitive development may
benefit from inclusion of specific components to support infant cognition beyond
those that support attachment, and may be most effective for infants over 6
months. They may need augmentation with other input where adversity is extreme.
CI - (c) 2015 Mac Keith Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS