Mira, AndreaCoo, SoledadBastías, Rodolfo2023-04-212023-04-212022article: Andrea Mira, Soledad Coo & Rodolfo Bastías (2022): Mother’s mental health and the interaction with her moderate preterm baby in the NICU, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/02646838.2022.2077921https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2022.2077921https://repositorio.udd.cl/handle/11447/7365Introduction: Moderate preterm infants, born between 320/7 and 336/7 weeks, represent a significant number of preterm-born infants; however, they remain a poorly studied group despite their vulnerability. The objective of this correlational study is to describe the impact of having a moderate preterm infant hospitalised in the NICU on the mothers’ mental health and how this relates to the interaction between the dyad. Method: During the hospitalisation period, 85 moderate preterm mother-infant dyads participated in this study. The participants provided self-reports of depression, parental stress, and skin to skin and breastfeeding practices. Also, mother-infant interaction was assessed in the NICU with an observational scale. Results: Mothers evidenced high levels of stress and depressive symptoms during the hospitalization. The stress experienced by these women was significant, although weakly, associated with the interaction with their babies; and mothers of small for gestational age babies showed difficulties in this area. Conclusions: The results of this study could represent a contribution to a better understanding of the relation between the characteristics of moderate preterm babies, maternal emotional wellbeing, and the quality of mother-infant interactions in NICU settings.16 p.enModerate pretermPremature birthPerinatal mental healthMother-infant interactionNeuroprotectionNeuroprotective strategiesArticle