Mothers and Premature Infants’ Emotional Interactions in a Neonatal Infant Care Unit: Case Studies

The aim of this study was to describe the ways premature infants and their mothers emotionally interact in the first weeks of their lives. In order to understand the intersubjective dyadic interaction between mother and premature infant, a qualitative and descriptive approach to research has been adopted. Four dyads comprised of primiparae women and their newly-born premature infants took part in the study. The babies were born prematurely after 28 to 35 weeks of gestation and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Data was collected filming the first dyadic interaction with infant in the mother’s arms, lasting between 15 to 30 minutes. After that first registry, dyadic behaviors between mother and baby were described and categorized following the intersubjective categories suggested by Fiamenghi (1999) and Fiamenghi et al. (2010). Results showed that dyads display positive emotions, with infants’ behaviors falling into the categories of negotiation, interaction and emotional curiosity; as well as a low frequency of negative behaviors. The outcome of this research reinforces the need to adopt a humanizing approach to prematurely born infants and their mothers in NICU, as well as training and awareness of the whole multidisciplinary team that deals with them

Prevalence of constipation in Down syndrome and association with behavioral problems

Objetivo: Investigar hábitos intestinais de crianças, jovens e adultos com Síndrome de Down (SD) para identificação da prevalência de constipação intestinal e analisar possíveis relações entre constipação e problemas de comportamento. Métodos: Estudo descritivo, exploratório e comparativo. Participaram 130 pessoas com diagnóstico médico de SD, idades entre sete meses e 50 anos, sem cardiopatias não corrigidas ou doenças intestinais. A avaliação foi realizada com um questionário sobre hábitos intestinais, criado a partir dos Critérios de Roma IV e das recomendações fornecidas pela Organização Mundial de Gastroenterologia e outras Associações Médicas Norte-americanas e Europeias, Escala de Bristol e Questionário de Capacidades e Dificuldades (SDQ). Resultados: Verificou-se 43 participantes constipados (33,1%). A prevalência por faixa etária foi 47% (0-35 meses), 40% (3-5 anos), 22% (6-11 anos), 28% (12-19 anos) e 17% (> 20 anos), sem diferenças em função do sexo. Os participantes constipados obtiveram escores mais elevados para Hiperatividade, bem como maior frequência de escores desviantes para Problemas de Conduta e Problemas Totais. Conclusões: A constipação intestinal dentre as pessoas com SD apresentou maior prevalência nos participantes mais novos. A maior presença de problemas de comportamento dentre os constipados sugere que o funcionamento intestinal está relacionado com as dificuldades comportamentais.Objective: To investigate intestinal habits of children, adolescents and adults with Down Syndrome (DS) in order to identify the prevalence of intestinal constipation and to analyze possible relationships between constipation and behavior problems. Methods: Descriptive, exploratory and comparative study. Participated 130 people with medical diagnosis of DS, aged between seven months to fifty years old, without uncorrected heart diseases or diagnosed intestinal diseases. The assessment was conducted using a questionnaire on intestinal habits, based on the Rome IV criteria and on the recommendations provided by the World Gastroenterology Organization, and other North American and European Associations; Bristol Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: 43 constipated participants (33.1%). The prevalence rate by age group was 47% (0-35 months), 40% (3-5 years), 22% (6-11 years), 28% (12-19 years) e 17% (> 20 years), without any sex difference. Constipated participants obtained significantly higher scores on the SDQ Hyperactivity scale, as well as more deviant scores on the Conduct Problems and Total Problems scales. Conclusions: Constipation among people with DS was more prevalent in younger participants. The greater presence of behavior problems among constipated individuals suggests that intestinal functioning is related to behavioral difficulties