Cho June, Holditch-Davis Diane, Su Xiaogang, Phillips Vivien, Biasini Fred, Carlo Waldemar A
June Cho, PhD, RN, was Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, at the time this research was completed. She is now Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Diane Holditch-Davis, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Professor Emerita, School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Xiaogang Su, PhD, is Associate Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso. Vivien Phillips, BSN, RN, is Research Nurse Coordinator, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Fred Biasini, PhD, is Associate Professor, Director of Alabama UCEDD and LEND, Director of Civitan/Sparks Clinics, and Director of UAB Early Head Start, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Waldemar A. Carlo, MD, is Professor, Director of Division of Neonatology, and Director of Newborn Nurseries, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Nurs Res. 2017 Sep/Oct;66(5):350-358. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000228.
Male infants are more prone to health problems and developmental delays than female infants.
On the basis of theories of gender differences in brain development and social relationships, we explored associations between testosterone and cortisol levels with infant cognitive, motor, and language development ("infant development") in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, controlling for mother-infant interactions, characteristics of mothers and infants, and days of saliva collection after birth.
A total of 62 mother-VLBW infant pairs were recruited from the newborn intensive care unit of a tertiary medical center in the Southeast United States. Data were collected through infant medical record review, biochemical measurement, observation of mother-infant interactions, and standard questionnaires. Infant development was assessed at 6 months corrected age (CA), and mother-infant interactions were observed at 3 and 6 months CA.
General linear regression with separate analyses for each infant gender showed that high testosterone levels were positively associated with language development of male infants after controlling for mother-infant interactions and other covariates, whereas high cortisol levels were negatively associated with motor development of female infants after controlling for mother-infant interactions.
Steroid hormonal levels may well be more fundamental factors for assessing infant development than infant gender or mother-infant interactions at 6 months CA.
男婴比女婴更容易出现健康问题和发育迟缓。
基于大脑发育和社会关系中的性别差异理论，我们探讨了极低出生体重（VLBW）婴儿的睾酮和皮质醇水平与婴儿认知、运动和语言发育（“婴儿发育”）之间的关联，同时控制母婴互动、母亲和婴儿的特征以及出生后唾液采集天数。
从美国东南部一家三级医疗中心的新生儿重症监护病房招募了62对母婴。通过婴儿病历审查、生化测量、母婴互动观察和标准问卷收集数据。在矫正年龄（CA）6个月时评估婴儿发育情况，在CA 3个月和6个月时观察母婴互动。
对每个婴儿性别进行单独分析的一般线性回归显示，在控制母婴互动和其他协变量后，高睾酮水平与男婴的语言发育呈正相关，而高皮质醇水平在控制母婴互动后与女婴的运动发育呈负相关。
在矫正年龄6个月时，类固醇激素水平可能是比婴儿性别或母婴互动更基本的评估婴儿发育的因素。
