Liza Ann Webb

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine maternal and paternal perceptions of the neonate. The Broussard Neonatal Perception Inventory was used to measure perception.

Thirty couples who delivered normal, healthy, first-born infants at a Naval Hospital in San Diego volunteered for the study. Consent forms were signed during the hospital stay and the Broussard Neonatal Perception Inventory was administered to both parents in the homes when the infants were one month old.

Statistical analysis of data showed that mothers and fathers did rate their one-month-old infants as above the average infant using the Broussard Neonatal Perception Inventory. The range of scores obtained supports the validity of using the Broussard Neonatal Perception Inventory for both mothers and fathers. There was no statistically significant difference in the ratings of the neonate by mothers and fathers.

The results of the present study differ from Broussard and Hartner's (1971) findings. Forty percent of the women in their study rated their infants as equal or less than average compared to 13.3 per cent in this study. Their study demonstrated that educational level of the parents, maternal age, maternal sex preference and maternal experience with children were not critical variables associated with a child's developmental and emotional health. There was a trend in this study for age, length of marriage and sex of the child to influence maternal ratings. Paternal ratings were influenced by holding the infant within the first twelve hours after birth. Unfortunately, none of these findings were at the 0.05 level of significance.

No distinct roles of mothering or fathering emerged in this study. Child care was a shared endeavor with both parents feeding, holding, comforting, changing diapers and playing with their infants. Mothers did, however, feed and bathe the babies more than the fathers. The majority of the child care functions were performed by both mother and father and as such should be considered parenting functions.

Two behavioral differences between mothers and fathers did come to light. Fathers talked less to the infants but admired their infants more than the mothers during the first four weeks of life.

The question of quality time as compared to quantity time was also raised in this study. Mothers reported spending a median of 12 hours per day interacting with their infants compared to fathers' reports of 4 hours. Regardless of time spent, both parents perceived their infant in the same manner. Presumably, the knowledge on which this decision was based came from meaningful interaction with their infant. Thus the difference in attentive care as compared to number of hours may not be significant.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Audrey Burgess

Second Advisor

Ede Buerger

Third Advisor

Lois Heppenstall

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1978

Date (Title Page)

12-1978

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Infant, Newborn; Parent-Child Relations

Type

Thesis

Page Count

viii; 79

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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