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Author(s): P. Nina Banerjee [sup.1] , Karen McFadden [sup.2] , Jacqueline D. Shannon [sup.2] , Leslie L. Davidson [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.21729.3f, 0000000419368729, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of [...], Introduction Low birth weight (LBW), biological vulnerability that includes preterm birth (PTB) and small for gestational age (SGA), is associated with reduced maternal sensitivity ("making accurate inferences about an infant&apos;s physical and emotional needs and responding appropriately") and impaired infant cognitive development. However, research does not examine if preterm birth, SGA, or both drive these associations. This study separated these measures of biological vulnerability to examine associations of LBW, PTB, and SGA with maternal sensitivity and infant cognitive development (controlling for maternal depression, breastfeeding, and demographic covariates). Methods The sample included 6900 9-month-old infants from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort and used birth certificate data, maternal interviews, assessments of maternal sensitivity and infant cognitive development. Multiple linear regressions examined LBW, PTB, and SGA associations with concurrent measures of maternal sensitivity and infant cognition. Results Of the biological vulnerabilities, preterm birth had the strongest negative association with maternal sensitivity (F.sub.1,6450 = 29.48 versus 15.33 and 5.51, ps < .001) and infant cognitive development (F.sub.1,6450) = 390.65 versus 248.02 and 14.43, ps < .001). In the final regression model, preterm birth and maternal sensitivity were uniquely associated with infant cognitive development (R.sup.2 = .05, p < .001), after controlling for maternal depression, breastfeeding, and demographics. Conclusion In this nationally representative infant sample infants, PTB had a stronger negative association with both maternal sensitivity and infant cognitive development in comparison to SGA or LBW. The LBW designation combines infants born preterm with SGA infants, potentially minimizing differences in developmental outcomes of PTB and SGA infants.

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00928.x Byline: Natasha J. Cabrera (1), Jacqueline D. Shannon (2), Jerry West (3), Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (4) Abstract: This study examined variation in mother-infant interactions, father engagement, and infant cognition as a function of country of origin, socioeconomic status, and English language proficiency in a national sample of Latino infants (age 9 months) born in the United States and living with both biological parents (N=1,099). Differences between Mexican-American infants, who had lower mother-infant interaction scores and less father physical play than did the other Latino infants, were associated with differences in acculturation (both parents' English proficiency). Indicators of acculturation and paternal reports of happiness with partner were associated with paternal engagement. Indicators of acculturation were also related to mother-infant interactions. Infant cognitive scores were associated with maternal interaction but not father engagement, and maternal but not paternal mental health. Author Affiliation: (1)University of Maryland at College Park (2)Brooklyn College, The City University of New York (3)Mathematica Policy Research, Inc (4)Teachers College and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University Article note: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Natasha J. Cabrera, University of Maryland at College Park, 3304 Benjamin Bldg., Room 117E, College Park, MD 20742. Electronic mail may be sent to ncabrera@umd.edu.

In this article, we use data on biological fathers (n = 597) and mothers (N = 1,550) from 12 sites of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHS [...]

The article focuses on non-residential father involvement among low-income group and explains differences by race and ethnicity by using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. Results show that White fathers have lower levels of father involvement than minority fathers and the difference are mainly due to unique patterns of relationships and household structure within the groups.