Caregivers’ Perceived Stress and Social Support in Association with Temperament in 3 to 24-Month-Old Infants Born Preterm and Full-term

Risk and protective factors are related to the development of children's temperament, a dimension of social-emotional development. One potential risk factor is perceived caregiver stress, while perceived social support in the context of perinatal infant care practices may act as a protective factor against its negative effects. Preterm (PT) birth poses additional challenges as caregivers often experience increased stress, emphasising the need to explore how these factors interact. Understanding risk and protective factors will help to identify children at risk and provide targeted interventions. This study examines the associations between caregiver perceived stress, perceived social support in the context of perinatal care, and infant temperament dimensions, including positive affectivity/surgency, negative emotionality, and orienting/regulatory capacities. In addition, we will examine the potential moderation of these associations by gestational age or term status (PT or full-term (FT)). Participants will be caregivers of children born PT and FT at the USZ. When the parents are contacted, the children will be between 3 months and 2 years old. We will recruit caregivers online via social media and the database of the Research Unit “Developmental Psychology: Infancy and Childhood” at the University of Zurich. Participants will complete questionnaires online.