Prematüre Doğum ve Annenin Doğum Sonrası Depresyonunun Erken Çocukluk Dönemindeki Davranışsal ve Duygusal Uyum Üzerine Etkisi: Aileye ve Çocuğa Özgü Aracı Mekanizmalar

Abstract

Children born prematurely face a range of psychosocial risks, in addition to the biological risks associated with their premature birth. The effects of premature birth on the family and the attitudes of the family towards the premature child are important factors that may affect the child's development. This study aims to evaluate the emotional/behavioural problems and social adaptation difficulties of children born prematurely in early childhood. In this context, the aim is to examine the effect of the child's emotion regulation skills on emotional/behavioural problems and social adjustment difficulties of children born prematurely, and to determine the role of family-specific and child-specific variables that may influence these skills. In line with these aims, the current study consists of two parts. In the first part, in order to measure father involvement from family-specific variables in a holistic manner, the adaptation study of the Father Involvement in Health-Pre-School was conducted. This evaluates father involvement in the field of health. The sample of this study consisted of 143 fathers with children aged 3-6 years. The findings obtained from confirmatory factor analysis, validity and reliability analyses showed that the scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used in our country. In the second part, the mediating role of the child's emotion regulation skills in the relationship between social adjustment difficulties and emotional/behavioural problems of children born prematurely in early childhood and family-specific and child-specific mechanisms was tested using structural equation modelling. The sample of this study consisted of 97 premature children and their parents. A risk model consisting of factors affecting emotional/behavioural problems and social adjustment difficulties of premature children was created. When the model was evaluated, it was found that maternal emotion regulation difficulties predicted child emotion regulation difficulties via maternal negative emotion socialisation styles. Maternal negative emotion socialisation styles predicted child social adjustment difficulties and emotional/behavioural problems via child emotion dysregulation. In addition, maternal postpartum depression symptoms predicted maternal emotion dysregulation difficulties and child emotion dysregulation difficulties via maternal current depression symptoms. Children’s reactive temperament traits and current maternal depression symptoms had a moderating effect on this model. It is suggested that this model may shed light on where to intervene in the early childhood emotional/behavioural problems and social adjustment difficulties of preterm infants.