Maternal-infant contact in the non-English speaking Mexican-American mother Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Enriquez, Martha Elida Gunther Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 25/09/2021 12:20:50 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/566573 MATERNAL-INFANT CONTACT IN THE NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING MEXICAN-AMERICAN MOTHER by Martha Elida Gunther Enriquez A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the COLLEGE OF NURSING In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 7 8 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill­ ment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowl­ edgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the inter­ ests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. * * X SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: MA a a a a a J^s lU c y (J MARGARITAOKMARG ARI TACjKAY Date Associate Professor of Nursing ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those involved in this research study. The members of my committee, Dr. Margarita Kay, Chairperson; Mrs. Dyanne D. Affonso; and Dr. E. B. Eislein provided interest, enthusiasm, support, and advice during this study. Special appreciation is expressed to my family for their love, patience, and understanding throughout the course of this study. Special acknowledgments go to my husband, Tony, for his endless love and excellent drawings and tables, and to our son, Marco, whose first year of life has given me a special maternal bond that continues to grow. My gratefulness is also extended to the clients who so willingly participated making this study possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF T A B L E S .......... vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS........................ vii ABSTRACT............................... viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION................ 1 Statement of the Problem . Significance of the Problem Statement of Purpose . Conceptual Framework . 4* cn CT 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................... 12 Maternal Behavior in Animals .............. 12 Maternal Human Behavior ................... 15 Mexican-American Culture ................... 22 The F a m i l y ............................. 23 S u m m a r y ............................... 25 3. METHODOLOGY .................... 27 The S e t t i n g ............................... 27 The S a m p l e ................................. 28 Method of Data C o l l e c t i o n ................. 29 Selection of Subjects ................. 29 Set Up 29 P r o c e d u r e ............................. 32 Physical Limitations to Interaction . 34 Research Design . 36 Definitions of Maternal Behavior .... 37 Infant Behavior .......... 39 Assumptions ............ 42 Limitations .......................... 42 Definition of T e r m s ....................... 43 iv V TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued Page 4. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF D A T A .......... 44 Characteristics of the S a m p l e ............ 44 Individual Mother-Infant Pair Summary . 50 Mother-Infant # 1 ....................... 51 Mother-Infant # 2 ....................... 54 Mother-Infant # 3 ....................... 59 Mother-Infant # 4 ....................... 63 Mother-Infant # 5 ....................... 67 Mother-Infant # 6 ....................... 71 The Findings............................... 74 S u m m a r y ................................... 82 5. INTERPRETATION OF THE FINDINGS................ 84 Analysis of D a t a ............ 84 Discussion of Reliability ................. 86 Conclusions ............................... 87 Problems Encountered with This Study .... 88 Implications for Nursing ................... 90 Recommendations for Further Studies .... 92 6. S U M M A R Y .................... 94 APPENDIX A. SUBJECT'S CONSENT FORM (ENGLISH) .... 98 APPENDIX B. SUBJECT'S CONSENT FORM (SPANISH) .... 100 APPENDIX C. OBSERVATION CHECKLIST ........... .... 102 APPENDIX D. COMPILATION OF RAW DATA SHEETS FOR MATERNAL BEHAVIORS ........ 104 APPENDIX E. COMPILATION OF RAW DATA SHEETS FOR INFANT BEHAVIORS ..................... 108 APPENDIX F. COMPILATION OF RAW DATA SHEET FOR SIGNIFICANT OTHER BEHAVIORS .......... Ill REFERENCES CITED ..................................... 113 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Characteristics of the Maternal Sample ........ 46 2. Maternal Medication and Anesthesia ............ 48 3. Characteristics of Infant Sample ........ .. 49 4. Pattern of Behavior for Each Mother-Infant Pair According to Infant Body A r e a .......... 76 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Delivery Room and Equipment Set U p ............ 31 2. Position of Mother and I n f a n t ................ 33 vii ABSTRACT Early maternal-infant contact is of extreme impor­ tance in the establishment of a healthy relationship. This contact between mother and infant can be altered by many factors, one of them being culture. The focus of this study was to explore the behaviors of maternal-infant contact in non-English speaking Mexican-American mothers. The subjects for this study were six mother-infant pairs from an inpatient labor and delivery unit at the Health Science Center. These subjects agreed to participate in this research by allowing the researcher to video- arid audiotape the initial maternal-infant interaction within six minutes after the delivery while the mother was still on the delivery table. An observation checklist was developed to measure the various mother, infant, and significant other contact behaviors. Two observers viewed each tape independently to determine reliability of the observations. The inter<- observer reliability coefficient was 88%. The findings re­ vealed that most of the mothers fingertip touch their infants first regardless of what body part they touch. However, this particular group of mothers offered a variety of contact behaviors and did not establish an "orderly and predictable" pattern of behavior. viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION It has long been known that babies require mothering, touching, cuddling, and loving attention if they are to thrive. This close contact may be as important to the mother's well-being as to the child's. There are certain processes that a mother and her newborn go through during the first few hours and days of life. These processes may be the key to how well the mother will respond to her infant later in their lives and how well the'infant will in turn respond to his mother (Clark and Affonso 1976b). Inter­ action between a mother and her infant during the first few weeks is significant (Rubin 1963; Barnett et al. 1970; Salk 1970; Klaus et al. 1970; Klaus et al. 1972; Klaus, Trause, and Kennell 1975). Delay in initiation of the mother- infant relationship, especially within the first 24 hours after birth, can create an environment in which a maladap­ tive parent-child relationship can develop. Such an en­ vironment can affect both infant's and parent's future growth and development and so can ultimately affect our society. Our goal is to prevent the creation of a maladap­ tive environment and send a confident, contented mother home with a thriving child. In order to attain our goal of 1 2 preventing a maladaptive environment, it is important for the nurse to understand maternal attachment. Maternal attachment can be defined as a unique relationship between a mother and her infant that is specific and endures through time (Klaus and Kennell 1976). Although it is difficult to define this enduring relation­ ship operationally, maternal attachment is evaluated in terms of attachment behaviors such as fondling, gazing, kissing, holding close,' and looking en face. However, these behaviors correspond to behaviors that might be called "affectionate" in contemporary Western society and do not necessarily have equal importance in other cultures (Goldberg 1972). Variations and attitudes in behaviors which may result from cultural influences need to be care­ fully understood. Culture is significant because it defines the meaning of the experience and designates appropriate behavior for reacting to and coping with events (Affonso, in Clark and Affonso 1976a). In the experience of child­ birth, culture definitely plays an important role. Childbirth is an emotional and immeasurably complex aspect of existence, and the experience means a great deal to the individuals involved, both at the time itself and later (Macfarlane 1977). Influences on the outcome.of a pregnancy and delivery begin at the time of a mother's own conception. The genes that a mother inherits from her parents, her own development inside of the uterus with all 3 its complex changes, the hazards of her own delivery, her social and biological experiences during infancy,