Mother-Infant Dyadic Synchrony and Interaction Patterns after Infant Cardiac Surgery

Abstract

Objective: Parents and their infants with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) face relational challenges, including marked distress, early separations, and infant hospitalizations and medical procedures, yet the prevalence of parent-infant interaction difficulties remains unclear. Using a standardized observational paradigm, this study investigated mother-infant dyadic synchrony, interactional patterns, and associated predictors in mother-infant pairs affected by CHD, compared with typically-developing pairs. Methods: In this prospective, longitudinal cohort study, mothers and their infants requiring cardiac surgery before age 6-months (n=110 pairs) and an age-and sex-matched Australian community sample (n=85 pairs) participated in a filmed, free-play interaction at 6.9±1.0 months. Mother-infant dyadic synchrony, maternal and infant interactional patterns, and relational risk were assessed using the Child-Adult Relationship Experimental (CARE) Index. Maternal and infant predictors were assessed at 32 weeks gestation, 3-and 6-months postpartum. Results: Most mother-infant interactions were classified as "high risk"or "inept"(cardiac: 94%, control: 81%; p=.007). Dyadic synchrony (p