The imaginary dialogue between mothers and their premature babies

Abstract

This study analyzes the imaginary dialogue between mothers and their premature babies in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to identify the representation of these interactions and their thematic content. The research is qualitative and involves multiple case studies. We worked with six mothers, who were chosen due to ease of access, who didn’t present any psychopathological alterations and their babies were classified as low-risk. Video feedback and thematic content analysis techniques were used. Three balanced representations were identified along with two unbalanced distorted representations and one unbalanced detached representation. Physical thematic content was a dominant feature of the dialogue and cognitive content was less frequent. The results are discussed by the authors in relation to the low-risk status of the babies, the predominant thematic content of the dialogue and implications for mental health prevention for the babies.