Care Across Contexts: Patterns of Caregiver-Infant Engagement in Spanish- and English-Speaking Families of Preterm Infants

Objective To examine group differences and continuity in caregiving environments of infants born preterm from Spanish- and English-speaking families. Study Design We conducted a prospective cohort study of Spanish- (n = 17) and English-speaking (n = 23) families of infants born preterm (< 32 weeks gestation). Caregiver-infant engagement was assessed neonatally via hospital visitation and skin-to-skin (STS) care, and at home via child-directed adult word counts/hour (CD-AWC/hour) from all-day audio recordings. Result No significant group differences were observed in family visitation, neonatal STS care, or in-home verbal engagement, although STS care rates varied considerably, especially within Spanish-speaking families. Across both groups, greater STS care was associated with higher CD-AWC/hour at home. Conclusion Spanish- and English-speaking families showed comparable patterns of caregiver-infant engagement, as a group, however, many Spanish-speaking families engaged in less STS than English-speaking families. STS care predicted caregiver-infant verbal engagement at home, highlighting continuity from hospital to home.