The Effects of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system on Sensitivity of Mother-Infant Interactions.
Nugent, J. K. Dym-Bartlett, J., Vonende, A., Valim, C. (2017). The Effects of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system on Sensitivity of Mother-Infant Interactions. Infants and Young Children, 30, 4, 257-268.
Abstract
Introduction: The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system is a neurobehavioral observation tool for use by health care professionals to provide information and guidance to parents about their infant’s behavior and development, with the goal of promoting positive relationships between parents and infants and between practitioners and families. This study assessed the impact of the NBO on the sensitivity of mother-infant interaction in the first four months of life.
Methods: Primaparous mothers and their healthy full-term infants were randomized into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in the NBO in the hospital two days after birth and again in the home at one month postpartum. At four months, 17 control dyads and 19 experimental dyads were videotaped in their homes during a semi-structured play episode, which was coded using the CARE-Index Scoring System to measure the quality of parent-child interaction.
Results: The results showed that mothers who participated in the NBO were 2.5 times more likely to be classified as “sensitive” on the CARE-Index than were mothers who did not receive the intervention, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. However, infants of mothers who participated in the intervention were 2.8 more likely to be classified as “cooperative” in the context of mother-infant interactions compared to infants in the control group, a difference that was statistically significant. Adjusting for covariates, older mothers were slightly more likely to be rated as “sensitive.”
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the NBO may be an effective, time-limited, cost-effective intervention for strengthening relationships between parents and infants beginning at birth.