Psychosocial Aspects of Care and Nutrition

Abstract

The quality of psychosocial care provided the young child is reflected in the caregiver's responsiveness, warmth and affection, involvement with the child, and encouragement of autonomy and exploration. First, research was examined linking the quality of psychosocial care to a child's development of mental abilities, and to his or her growth and nutrition status. There is considerable correlational evidence and some experimental evidence for this linkage. Second, the barriers to adequate psychosocial care were explored, including maternal beliefs and confidence, stress and depression, social support, and autonomy and control of resources. Third, a number of strategies to enhance psychosocial care as a mechanism for increasing the child's nutrition status are described, at the level of the child, the caregiver, the child-caregiver relationship, and the community. All of the work was interpreted in terms of an interactive or transactional model of child development.