Infant-mother interaction is a set of bidirectional processes, where the baby (healthy, premature or with genetic disease), is a partner not only affected by the influences of their caregiver but is also at the origin of considerable modifications via these interactions themselves. The recent discovery of biological correlates of synchrony during these interactions have validated how crucial this influence is during child neurological and emotional development. Technical advances in obstetrical and pediatrician fields have allowed for earlier and earlier interventions, including prenatal diagnoses, in utero chirurgical interventions, in utero transfusions as well as allowing for very early birth before 26 weeks LMP. All these technical advances now permit a potentially favorable vital outcome to a baby that did not exist some decades ago. But this new somatic field has opened a novel area of child and adolescent psychiatry as a field, with new practices and new ethical questions. Perinatal and early life parent-child interventions are recommended but studies are scarce in this new field to guide clinical practice and treatment so further research is needed.
The goal of this Research Topic is to examine perinatal and early life parent-child interaction mechanisms, from the prepartum period up until the infant is two years old (i.e. preverbal children). To achieve that aim, we welcome studies using all available explorative tools guiding clinical practice, ethical discussions, and therapeutic interventions including biological, genetic and epigenetic, medical imagery, psychodynamic, psychoanalysis, social signal, and computational engineering models. Most of the literature in this field currently focused on medical or very short-term child development issues. However, there are still important gaps in our knowledge regarding the bio-psycho-social pattern of parent-child interaction, and especially the long term developmental and emotional issues resulting from perinatal intervention such as surgical in utero intervention, prenatal diagnosis, and then Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalization. Moreover, early parent-child interventions are currently recommended but there are few evidence-based studies to determine the interest and limits of them.
We welcome original research article, brief research report, systematic review, review, mini-review, policy and practice review, hypothesis and theory, perspective, case report, community case study, general commentary, or opinion. Manuscripts addressing the following themes (but not limited to) are strongly encouraged:
· Impact of prenatal in utero intervention on parent-child interactions and then on the resulting development and emotional issues in those children
· Biological, epigenetic, physiological and psychodynamic mechanisms associated with in utero fetal-parent interaction in pathological or control cases
· Ethical studies and reflections on perinatal intervention issues including historical and cultural evolution of perinatal exploration and intervention rules
· Early parent-child therapeutic interventions: propositions and evaluations
· Prematurity and NICU, how to prevent and treat child developmental and emotional issues of which the orality disorder and parent-child interactions troubles
Keywords: Perinatal, Early Parent-Child Interaction, Prematurity, Early Parent-Child Intervention, Developmental, Emotional
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
