691 - The Kangaroo Mother Care method and its effect on the quality of attachment with the mother: results of the IPPA test in 468 young adults ex-preterm infants.

Sunday, April 30, 2023

3:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET

Poster Number: 691
Publication Number: 691.307

nathalie charpak, Kangaroo Foundation, Bogota, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia; Adriana Montealegre-Pomar, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana- Kangaroo Foundation, Bogotá, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

Presenting Author(s)

Nathalie Charpak, MD (she/her/hers)

Director
Kangaroo Foundation
Bogota, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

Co-Author(s)

Adriana Montealegre-Pomar, Neonatologist (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana- Kangaroo Foundation
Bogotá, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

Background: The Inventory for Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) is a tool to measure attachment developed for use with older adolescents and young adults. Patients classified as highly securely attached with parents and/or peers reported greater satisfaction with themselves, a higher likelihood of seeking social support and less symptomatic response to stressful life events. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) method is an intervention for preterm or Low Birth Weight (LBW) infants that enhances parents’ attachment, especially with mothers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of KMC during neonatal period on quality of attachment at 20 years.

Design/Methods:

This study is part of a cohort of young adults born preterm or with LBW ( < 2000g) and recovered from a randomized clinical trial (RCT) conducted 20 years earlier in Bogotá, Colombia, that compared KMC with conventional care in incubator. We compared these two groups with a third reference group of young adults born at term from the same institution.
Total attachment score [(confidence+communication)-alienation] and quality of attachment were compared with Mann Whitney and Chi²tests.

Results: patients with the antecedent of KMC had a higher median score of total attachment (64) compared with control (61) and reference (56) groups (p =0.04). Additionally, young adults who received KMC had more secure and less ambivalent attachment (Table 1) (p=0.02).

Conclusion(s): The effect of KMC on attachment with parents prevails over time, even up to 20 years later. There is evidence that this attachment generates long-term beneficial consequences on self-esteem and mental health.