Vínculo mãe-filho, ambiente e desenvolvimento motor de crianças acompanhadas em ambulatório de seguimento de risco

Abstract

Identifying the factors resulting from the correlation between mother-child bond, environment and motor development (MD) in children overseen by risk follow-up in a public maternity hospital in Fortaleza. Methodology: An observational, cross-sectional and quantitative study was carried out, with a sample of 130 mothers/guardians and their 3- to 12-month-old infants who were being overseen by the risk follow-up clinic in Assis Chateaubriand maternity school. Data were collected through a form designed by the researcher, which contained socioeconomic data, as well as information concerning the routine of mothers and babies in hospital and at home, along with three other instruments: Mother-Child Bonding Evaluation Protocol, Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development – Infant Scale, and Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). Results: Data showed that the population was made up of 74.5% premature babies, 64.6% babies who spent over a month in the neonatal intensive care unit, and 86.2% low income families. Accordingly, the Affordances results were unfavorable to child development, with 93.8% considered inadequate. Concerning the home’s physical environment, 86.1% were considered insufficient to provide the children with challenges; with respect to the use of toys, 97% had no resources to stimulate gross motor skills, and 89.2% didn’t have fine-motor toys. None of the children attended daycares before the research. Mothers’ education was also perceived as a risk fator to child development: only 43.1% of mothers had graduated high school. Despite those factors, 62.3% of children had typical MD. Concerning the mother-child bond, 60% of mothers showed a strong bond with their children. In the interaction between variables, it was observed that the correlation between bonding and MD showed statistical significance (p˂0.05), indicating that a strong mother-child bond predisposed babies to adequate MD. Other correlations between variables such as environment and MD were analyzed but did not have statistical significance. Conclusions: Despite the presence of risk factors (biological, socioeconomic and environmental), this fact didn’t hinder the prevalence of typical MD in the assessed babies. It was also possible to link mother-child bonding and motor skills, suggesting that mothers who have a strong bond with their children benefit the latter’s motor development, overcoming environmental and biological adversities.