FAMILY-LIFE 1 YEAR AFTER INFANTILE COLIC

Objective: To determine the persistence of family psychological charac teristics associated with infantile colic. Design: A 1-year follow-up survey of families with colicky infants was carried out. The family in terview was used to evaluate the psychological factors of colicky and control families. Participants: A total of 59 families with a colicky infant and 58 control families were enrolled in the initial evaluation in the population-based study. On the basis of a structured diary of the infant's crying, filled in by the parents, 3 groups of families we re formed: severe colic group (n=36), moderate colic group (n=23), and control group (n=58). The families were interviewed when the infants were 2 and 12 months old. The Beavers-Timberlawn Family Evaluation Sca le and the Oulu Family Assessment Scale were used. Thirty-two families (89%) from the severe colic group, 17 (74%) from the moderate colic g roup, and 49 (84%) from the control group participated in the 1-year a ssessment. Results: At the 1-year assessment, the structural profile o f the families did not differ between the groups. However, families in the severe colic group had more difficulties in communication, more u nresolved conflicts, more dissatisfaction, and greater lack of empathy than families in the other groups. Furthermore, there was less flexib ility in both colic groups than in the control group. During the follo w-up period, coalition between parents in the moderate colic group bec ame stronger compared with the first assessment, and the atmosphere im proved significantly in all 3 study groups. However, the amount of emp athy decreased in the sea ere colic group. Conclusions: Our study show s that certain family characteristics associated with severe infantile colic persist. Families in the moderate colic group coped nearly as w ell as families in the control group. The family mood had improved a l ot in all families when the infant was 1 year old.