EARLY INTERVENTION WITH PORTUGUESE MOTHERS - A 2-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Results of a 2-year follow-up after an early intervention with low-mid dle-class primiparous Portuguese mothers are presented. On the 3rd day of their infants' lives, 40 mothers underwent a structured interventi on using selected items of the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessmen t Scale. An additional 20 mothers randomized to the control group had a talk with a pediatrician about general problems of infant health car e. On Day 28, the ''sensory orientation'' and ''cuddliness'' competenc ies of the infants in the experimental group were significantly enhanc ed when compared with the same competencies among the infants in the c ontrol group. In addition, dyads in the experimental group had establi shed a more favorable pattern of interaction, particularly after short stressful situations (these situations included short separations fro m the mother in which a stranger was present, short separations in whi ch no one was present, and a still-face situation). Short-term effects (the first month of life) were particularly noticeable, especially in terms of the babies' neurobehavioral development and mother-infant in teraction. Long-term effects (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 24 months), tho ugh less clear, were evident in the form of better interactive pattern s among the dyads in the experimental group. This was particularly evi dent after the stressful situations to which they were submitted. Thes e results are discussed in terms of both their scope and their clinica l impact.