Factors Associated with Maternal Opinion of Infant Development—Clues to the Vulnerable Child?

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Abstract
A mother''s expectations about the development of her infant are a strong determinant of child development, but little is known about the factors that may affect maternal assessment of development. The relationship of the mother''s opinion of the development of her infant with several sociodemographic, antenatal, intrapartum and infant health variables was examined for a large sample of 1 yr old infants for whom gross motor observations were also obtained at the time of the interview. Among those observed to be developing at an appropriate rate, 4.0% were perceived by their mothers as developing slowly than the mothers considered normal; among infants developing more slowly, 28.6% were considered to be developing more slowly by their mothers. In both groups, the major determinants of maternal opinion of slow development concerned the infant''s health: low birth weight, congenital anomalies regardless of severity, hospitalization during the 1st yr of life and high ambulatory care use. Maternal perception of infant development may not reflect the infant''s level, but reflects past or present illness, and questions about the influence of infant health on maternal-infant interactions and the effect of such interactions on subsequent development in the child are raised.