FNI Between Mothers and Preschool Age Children

Columbia University1 site in 1 country36 target enrollmentFebruary 2015

ConditionsPremature Birth

Overview

Phase: Not Applicable
Intervention: Not specified
Conditions: Premature Birth
Sponsor: Columbia University
Enrollment: 36
Locations: 1
Primary Endpoint: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Scale
Status: Terminated
Last Updated: 9 years ago

Overview Investigators Eligibility Criteria Outcomes Sites Similar Trials

Overview

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Family Nurture Intervention in preschool aged children between 2.5 and 4.5 years of age who were born prematurely and exhibit developmental deficits. The new approach is based on improving aspects of maternal nurturing behaviors as well as mother-child co-regulation, which are important to early development. Since young children with developmental deficits are often easily upset, mothers will be taught how to co-regulate with their child through comfort and calming interactions during 11 clinic visits. Assessments in the follow-up clinic will test the immediate and long-term effects of this new approach to the nurture of children who were born early and demonstrate developmental problems and behavioral problems.

Detailed Description

Mother-infant interactions are the foundation for the organization of the infant's neurobiological, sensory, perceptual, emotional, physical, and relational systems (Hofer, 1987). For the developing infant, one of the most critical sources of regulatory input is through contact with the mother and her nurturing behavior. The infant's responses to the mother provide feedback that shapes her behavior as well. There are many co-regulatory processes embedded in these synchronous and reciprocal interactions which cross neurophysiological and neurobehavioral domains (Als, 1999). A necessary but detrimental separation between mother and infant is created at a critical period when mother-infant co-regulation should be developing. Regardless of NICU or well-baby nursery care, the physiological challenges associated with being born too soon, along with disturbances in normal mother-infant interactions are key factors underlying the risks of early and late preterm infants for a broad range of early and midlife disorders (DeBoer, et al., 1984 if this does not include late preterm, find another reference). This study compares common early interventions such as occupational, physical, and speech therapy with a Family Nurture Intervention (FNI), instituted at age 3 to 4 for preschool aged children with developmental delays. This is a developmental time point at which delays including deficits in emotion regulation, language, cognition, and attention are identifiable. The investigators hypothesize that the Family Nurture Intervention will alter a wide range of physiological regulatory capacities and will result in improved indices of mother psychological and child neurobehavioral outcomes.

Registry

clinicaltrials.gov

Start Date

February 2015

End Date

May 2016

Last Updated

9 years ago

Study Type

Interventional

Study Design

Parallel

Sex

All

Investigators

Sponsor

Columbia University

Responsible Party

Principal Investigator

Martha G. Welch, MD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Pediatrics and Pathology and Cell Biology

Columbia University

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

•Infant is a singleton (matched between groups)
•Mother is 18 years of age or older
•Mother has at least one supporting person in the home (e.g. significant other, mother, father, sibling, aunt, grandmother, step-parent)
•Child demonstrates developmental deficit (language, cognition, motor, emotion)

Exclusion Criteria

•The child has severe congenital anomalies including chromosomal anomalies
•The child has severe motor or physical disability
•Mother currently presents with psychosis or is currently taking antipsychotic medication
•Status of enrolled subject changes and subject no longer falls in inclusion criteria
•Mother and/or infant has a medical condition that precludes intervention components
•Mother and/or infant has a contagion that endangers other participants in the study

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Scale

Time Frame: Baseline, 5 weeks, 6 months, 12 months

The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a device by which parents rate a child's problem behaviors and competencies. The CBCL can also be used to measure a child's change in behavior over time or following a treatment. The CBCL consists of 100 items.