ANALYSIS OF MOTHER-CHILD INTERACTION PATT ERNS BETWEEN ADULT AND ADOLESCENT MOTHERS WHO HAD HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES

The purpouse of this study was to analyze mother-child interaction pat terns of adolescent and adult mothers with high-risk pregnancies cared for at the Mexican National Institute of Perinatology. Sample inclusi on criteria involved being primiparae, living with a spouse, being in good general health and living in Mexico City's metropolitan area. The sample consisted of 30 adolescent mothers from 15 to 19 years of age (Mean = 18) and 30 adult mothers from 25 to 35 years of age. (Mean = 2 4) with their offspring from 24 to 28 months of age (Mean = 24 months) . Narrative accounts of interactive behaviors led to a behavioral taxo nomy containing 24 behaviors: 13 by mothers and 11 by children. Mother -child interaction was videotaped for 10 minutes and the behaviors wer e recorded in five-second intervals. Data were analyzed on the basis o f significant frequencies and represented in probability trees. Result s revealed no significant differences in terms of frequency between th e two groups except in two categories. Also, there were no significant differences in the frequencies of the types of behaviors that mothers promoted in their children; but there were different patterns of moth er-child interaction between the two groups.