The aim of the present study was to analyse the scientific publications, from 1998 to 2004, about interaction between mothers and their pre-term born children and their development at pre-school and school age. A systematic bibliographical review about empirical studies indexed on MEDLINE, PsycINFO and LILACS data bases was done, using as key-words the terms: 'preterm' (very low birth weight, prematurity, premature birth) and 'mother-child interaction' (mother child dyads, mother child relationship, mother child relations, maternal mediation). Thirty-three articles were identified, 26 were selected and 22 were achieved. Most studies assessed mother-child interaction at the first four years of life, as well as its impact on children's developmental outcome. The studies identified differences in the interaction between mother-pre term born child dyads and mother- full term born child dyads at pre-school and school age and at adolescence. Maternal interactive behaviors exerted a differential moderator effect on the developmental outcome of vulnerable children who presented previous biologic risk factors.
Mother-child interaction; preterm; development