Educational/Behavioral Intervention Program for Parents of Premature Infants

The purpose of this study is to determine whether beginning an enriched educational/behavioral program for parents of premature infants, very early in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay, and lasting until the child is 3 years old, has beneficial results for both the parents and their infants. The hospital phase of the program gives parents an understanding of what to expect in the NICU environment; physical characteristics and needs of their premature baby; and how and when to best support their infant's development during this time. The information given during the home phase of the program continues with information specific to the growth and development and the effective parenting of an infant/toddler who has been born prematurely. It is believed that this information will help decrease parents' stress, anxiety and depression levels that can be related to giving birth to a premature infant. It is also expected that it will strengthen the mother's and father's ability to parent their premature child in a way that will help support their child's brain development and learning ability and to also decrease negative behaviors as the child grows.