Soares, HéliaFuertes, MarinaBarbieri, Maria do CéuPereira, Sandra2025-10-102025-10-102014-11-01Soares, H., Fuertes, M., Barbieri, M. D. C., & Pereira, S. (2014). The association between infant development and mother-infant quality of interaction in free play activities. Atención Primaria, 46(supp. 5), 84-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0212-6567(14)70071-X0212-656767bb6abe-ddcd-4326-a428-5088aac42997http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/55231Introduction: The mother-infant quality of interaction may influence the infant development in different levels. Objectives: To assess mother-infant quality of interaction, infant development and family resources and their interactions. Methods: Descriptive, correlational study including a random sample of 42 Portuguese healthy infants and their parents. At 11 months, mothers described their infants’ temperament using the Temperament Scale (Lopes dos Santos, Fuertes & Sanches-Ferreira) and identified their family resources with Family Support Scale Family Inventory (Dunst, Jenkins & Trivette); Family Needs Survey (Bailey & Simeonsson) and Parent Responsability Scale (McBride & Mills). Child development was assessed using The Schedule of Growing Skills II (Bellman, Lingam & Aukett). At 12 months, mothers were observed and taped playing with their infants; videos were scored with Care-Index (Crittenden) to assess mothers’s sensitivity. Results: The quality of mother-child interaction was strongly related with infant development outcomes. The infants with better development indicators (e.g., manipulation, vision, speech-language, hearing, language, social interaction and cognition) tended to be more cooperative and had more sensitive mothers. Autonomy was negatively correlated with maternal control and social interaction. Speech-language was negatively associated with maternal passivity. Mothers with higher education levels received more help from fathers and exhibited higher scores on maternal sensitivity. Conclusions: Maternal sensitivity is associated with infant development. In turn, infants with better developmental outcomes were more cooperative, engaged and reciprocal when playing. Infant development and mother-infant quality interaction are mutual affected.engInfant developmentMother-infant interactionconference object10.1016/S0212-6567(14)70071-X