The relationship between maternal representations and interactive behaviour with the mother’s emotional state,perceived social support and the infant’s risk level in a group of premature babies / La relación entre representaciones y conducta interactiva materna con el estado emocional de la madre,el apoyo social percibido y el nivel de riesgo del niño(a) en un grupo de prematuros

Abstract

This study aimed to explore, describe and analyse representations and interactive behaviour in a sample of 41 mothers with preterm babies hospitalized at Hospital Sótero del Río, Santiago, Chile. These variables were studied in relation to the mother’s emotional state, perceived social support and infant’s risk level with an exploratory, descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional design. Findings showed that 65% of mothers displayed secure representations, 27.5% detached representations and 7.5% a concerned style; the first group showed a better interactive behaviour. In addition, 43.6% of the mothers showed an adequate, 25.6% a less adequate and 30.8% an inadequate interactive behaviour. Evidence showed a lower perceived social support level in the group with less adequate interactive behaviour in comparison to the other two. The other variables measured did not show a statistically significant relation.