Intersubjectivity in Premature Infant-Mother Dyads: Maternal States of Mind and Premature Infant Responsivity

Abstract

Premature birth is implicated in the potential derailment of parent-infant relationships. Using a comparative case study methodology, this paper offers an exploration of developing and disrupted intersubjectivity in two mother-premature infant dyads in the context of a neonatal high care ward in a South African public hospital. Maternal narratives from interviews as well as observational material are used to understand infant responsivity and communication in relation to maternal states of mind. The potential for reciprocity is explored, along with the factors that disrupt this potential.

Keywords:

• Premature infancy
• intersubjectivity
• traumatized maternal states of mind
• disrupted reciprocity