Prematurity, maternal emotional distress, and infant social responsiveness among Arab-Bedouin families: The role of social support as a resilience factor

This study investigated predictors of early infant social development and the role of social support as a resilience factor among Arab-Bedouin families. We propose a mediation model in which social support will be related to maternal postpartum emotional distress (PPED), which in turn will be related to infant social responsiveness. One hundred five Arab-Bedouin mothers (age range = 17–44 years) and their preterm (n = 48) and full-term (n = 57) infants were recruited shortly after birth and were followed up at age 12 months. Findings demonstrate that, among the preterm group, higher levels of social support predicted lower levels of maternal PPED, and this, in turn, predicted higher levels of infant social responsiveness.