| Description |
The major goals of this investigation were to: l) identify the pattern of daily maturational behavior scores of neonates during their first four days of life; and 2) identify the specific factors associated with declines in maturational behavior scores during the first four days of life. The sample consisted of 19 neonates in the normal admission nurseries at the University of Utah Medical Center and Cottonwood Hospital. All subjects met the criteria of having 2^00 gram minimum birth-weight and an estimated gestational age of at least 33 weeks as determined by the physician. The tools used were the Rosenblith Modified Graham Behavioral Test for Neonates, Maternal Subject Information Sheets, and Neonate Subject Information Sheets. The Rosenblith Modified Graham Behavioral Test for Neonates was administered to the subjects on four consecutive days: the 12 to 24 hour period of life, the 3& to 4& period, the 60 to 72 hour period, and the 34 to 9& hour period, or fourth day of life. The Neonate and Maternal Subject Information Sheets were used to collect additional data about the mother and infant from hospital records. The data were analyzed at the University of Utah Computer Center (UU/CC) using a Univac 1108 computer and UU/CC library program CORRBL for the statistical computations and regression analyses. The critical findings were: l) the daily General Maturational Behavior mean scores gradually increased from one day to the next. 2) all of the subjects increased in the maturational behavior scores on the fourth day, 3) the daily scores did not differ from those of Rosenblith at a statistically significant level, and 4) many variables in relationship to general maturational scores were significant and need further investigation. The problems of this study were a small sample size, and lack of control in obtaining information shown on the Neonate and Maternal Information Sheets. The difficulty in the use of these sheets was the manner in which data was collected from the respective hospital charts. This method left the definition up to the person charting the information of when specific variables influenced the neonate or mother. Therefore, the definitions and detection of variables were left to many different people who were without a standardized tool or definition of variables. Future investigators need to develop a set standard of defining variables, and a set way of detecting or observing them when present; and then Inter-group reliability in the use of these definitions and observations should be established. |
