PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of early contact between mothers and infants on attachment behaviors. METHODS: The participants were purposely allocated to an experimental group (n=20) and a control group (n=20). For the experimental group, early contact between mothers and newborns took place for 10 minutes. Mother-infant attachment was assessed in the nursery. Data analysis was done using frequency, percentage, chi2 test, mean, standard deviation, and t-test with the SPSS/WIN program. RESULTS: The experimental group practicing early mother-infant contact, showed a higher degree of identifying behaviors (p<.05), modalities of interaction (p<.05), and caretaking behaviors (p<.05) than the control group. CONCLUSION: The early mother-infant contact at 2 hours post-delivery had positive effects on mother-infant attachment. Therefore an early contact can be recommended for all mothers-to-be as a way of improving mother-infant relationships.
Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Mothers ; Nurseries ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Statistics as Topic