Neonatal Bathing and Massage Intervention with Fathers,Behavioural Effects 12 Weeks after Birth of the First Baby: The Sunraysia Australia Intervention Project
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online March, 1992
Neonatal Bathing and Massage Intervention with Fathers,Behavioural Effects 12 Weeks after Birth of the First Baby: The Sunraysia Australia Intervention Project
A total of 32 first-time families from the Sunraysia district in Victoria, Australia
participated in a study on the effects of a training programme (demonstration of
baby massage and the Burleigh Relaxation Bath technique) with a particular emphasis
on the father-infant relationship. The infants, whose parents received the training
at 4-weeks post-partum, differed from comparison group infants on a constellation of
behaviours at the 12 week home observation. Treatment group infants greeted their
fathers with more eye contact, smiling, vocalising, reaching, and orienting
responses and showed less avoidance behaviours. As well, in a 10 minute observation,
the treatment group fathers showed greater involvement with their infants than
comparison group fathers. The brief intervention at four weeks seems to have
favourably affected the father-infant relationship in ways which would assist in the
establishment of a positive bond between the first-time fathers and their infants.
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