Sensitivity Training for Parents With Premature Infants

Sensitivity Training for Mothers With Premature Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally adapted version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program (MITP) among Chinese mothers with premature infants in public hospitals in Hong Kong.

Potential participants at two public hospitals in Hong Kong were identified by ward nurses. Mother-infant dyads with infants born at 36 weeks or earlier were assessed for eligibility. Data collection was conducted after obtaining written consent from the mothers. Mother-infant dyads who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to either the intervention or the treatment-as-usual control group. Each dyad was assessed at six time points, i.e., baseline, immediately after intervention/TAU, and when the infants were at the gestation-corrected ages of 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Mothers with premature infants born at 36 weeks or earlier

Exclusion Criteria:

• insufficient spoken and written Chinese ability of the mother
• mother under 18 years of age
• triplets or higher multiples
• infants with congenital abnormalities (e.g., metabolic disorder, chromosomal disorder)