The planned study will investigate the quality of mother-child interaction at the age of 6 months as well as the expression and methylation of candidate genes of stress signaling pathway in mature infants. At best, mother and the healthy, term newborn are undisturbed after birth. This creates optimal conditions for the development of a good mother-child interaction. The results of the mother-child interaction and the molecular genetic investigations will be compared to the results of the randomized controlled delivery room skin-to-skin study (deisy, clinicaltrial.gov identifier: NCT 01959737). This study showed a significant difference in the mother-child interaction and expression of candidate genes in preterm infants with or without skin-to-skin contact after birth. The investigators hypothesize that the quality of mother-child interaction at the age of six months will be better in term newborns without postpartal separation of mother and child than in preterm infants with or without skin contact after birth. The second hypothesis is that there will be a difference in the expression and methylation of candidate genes of stress signaling pathway in these infants.
A separation of mother and child after birth can influence the quality of mother-child interaction and the regulation of stress signaling pathways. Maternal depression, parental stress and socioeconomic status can also affect the quality of mother-child interaction. A former controlled randomized delivery room skin-to-skin study (deisy) showed, that skin contact of preterm infants and their mothers after birth improves the mother-child interaction. It also leads to a differential expression of candidate genes of the stress signaling pathways, which suggests a long term effect on mechanisms in stress response. The study group should now be compared to a group of mature infants with a normal, uninterrupted postnatal course. The hypothesis is that the intervention in the deisy study (early skin-to-skin contact of preterm infants and their mothers) improves the mother-child interaction so that it is nearly comparable to mature infants with uninterrupted mother-child contact after birth. Furthermore it is assumed that the expression and methylation of candidate genes of the stress signaling pathways will be influenced by the intervention in the same way. The mother-child interaction will be evaluated at the age of six months with a standardized method (Mannheim Rating Scales). Questionnaires about maternal depression, social support, socio-economic status, parental stress and mother-child relationship disorders as well as samples for the molecular genetic testing will be collected on the third day of life and at the age of six months. For the molecular genetic testing one blood sample and buccal swabs will be taken. The blood sample will not be done additionally but with a routine blood sampling on the third day of life (screening of inborn errors of metabolism).
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
100
There will be no intervention. The blood sample is taken while a routine blood sampling.
University hospital of Cologne, Department of Neonatology
Cologne, Germany
Analysis of the mother-child interaction of mature infants at the age of six months
Mother-child interaction is investigated at the age of six months using Mannheim Rating Scales. Therefore a four-minute-videotape of the mother changing the infant's diapers and playing with the infant is used. Mannheim Rating Scales is a good validated standardized observation instrument. Stimulation and response from the mother as well from the infant are being recorded. Different communication channels can be used by mother and child (vocal, facial or motor). All behaviors are analysed at intervals of five seconds (event coding). Then the values are formed from the sum of the coded events. The scale ranges from 0 to 48. If there is no interaction, the scale is 0. If there is an interaction in each interval (every 5 seconds in a 4 minute videotape), the scale is 48. The mother-child interaction is better if the scale is higher.
Time frame: at the age of six months
Analysis of expression and methylation of candidate genes of stress signaling pathways from infant blood (on the third day of life) as well as mucosal epithelial cells (buccal swab on the third day of life and at the age of six months)
RNA and DNA will be extracted from peripheral white blood cells and mucosal epithelial cells. The expression and methylation of candidate genes of the stress signaling pathways are investigated. The candidate genes are glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1), serotonin receptors (1A and 2A), serotonin transporter (slc6a4) and vasopressin.
Time frame: third day of life and age of six months
Maternal depression
Maternal depression is assessed with the German long form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). It is a self-report questionnaire to measure depressive symptoms and it consists of 20 questions. For each question the response choice are assigned point values (how often a symptom occurred during the last week). The point values are summed to a total measure score. The score ranges from 0 to 60. Zero points represents no symptoms of depression, a score of 15 or higher is interpreted to indicate a risk of depression.
Time frame: third day of life and age of six months
Social support
Social support is assessed with the short version of the F-SozU (Fragebogen zur sozialen Unterstützung, questionnaire on social support) scale (F-SozU K-22). The questionnaire records the subjectively perceived or anticipated support from the social environment. There are 22 items and the test person can indicate the degree of agreement on a five-level Likert scale (from 1 = does not apply to 5 = applies completely). The scale ranges from a minimum of 22 points to a maximum of 110 points. The higher the score, the better the subjectively perceived or anticipated support.
Time frame: third day of life and age of six months
socio-economic status
There will be a question to the household income per month and the mother's highest school-leaving certificate.
Time frame: third day of life and age of six months
parental stress
Parental stress is assessed with the German form of the parenting stress index (PSI). It consists of 48 items. The test person can indicate the degree of agreement on a five-level Likert scale (from 1 = does not apply to 5 = applies completely). There are 12 subscales, each consisting of 4 items and the points on the Likert scale are added. In each subscale there can be a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 20 points. The higher the score, the higher the parental stress.
Time frame: third day of life and age of six months
Parental Bonding
Parental Bonding is assessed with the parental bonding questionnaire (PBQ). It consists of 25 items and each item is rated on a scale from 0 to 3 points (response range from "very like" to "very unlike"). There are four subscales and the point values of each subscale are summed to a total measure score. The four subscales are: impaired bonding, rejection and anger, anxiety about care, risk of abuse. The higher the score, the higher the risk of a disorder in each area of the subscale.
Time frame: third day of life and age of six months
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