Tilbaketrekkingsatferd i spedbarnsalderen- en norsk valideringsstudie av the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB)
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether early signs of persistent withdrawal predict children's socio-emotional development at 12 months of age. New knowledge about epigenetics and early developmental psychology shows that it is possible to detect children at risk of abnormal development at an early stage in their lives. Early intervention offers greater opportunities to contribute to positive changes than measures introduced at a later stage in the child's life. Early detection requires first line involvement, but until now good observational instruments have been lacking. Several recent international studies have used an observation method developed by a french child psychiatrist, the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), and results from these studies indicate that infants' and toddlers' avoidance of contact in the form of persistent withdrawal behavior probably constitutes one of the clearest and earliest signals that something is wrong. In the current study ADBB is used to measure withdrawal behavior at 4 points in the child's first year of life, at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. ASQ-SE, ITSEA and the Infant Toddler Symptom Check list are used for various outcome measures. Observed withdrawal behavior is related to important family characteristics (depressive symptoms in the mothers, personality and the parent-infant interaction style). To ensure variation in persistent withdrawal behaviour, two groups are included in the study, a group of full-term children (n= 238) and a group of moderately premature children (n=64). The project will contribute with knowledge whether ADBB has predictive validity, whether there are differences in withdrawal behavior in full-term children compared to moderately premature children and whether maternal depression is related to withdrawal behavior in the children. If the results show that ADBB has predictive validity, this method can be used in the first line to identify children at risk at an early stage, investigate them more closely and introduce targeted measures to reverse negative development. Data collection took place in the period March 2008 to December 2011. The project has no external funding.
Project facts
Name
Tilbaketrekkingsatferd i spedbarnsalderen- en norsk valideringsstudie av the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB)
Status
CONCLUDED
Duration
30.11.07 - 31.12.15
