Solovyeva. [Mental development of infants conceived through in vitro fertilization and their interaction with their mothers. Dissertation abstract for the degree of Candidate of Psychological Sciences. Ph. D. (Psychology)]

Abstract:
The aim of the study is to investigate the mental development of young children conceived through IVF and their interaction with their mothers, in comparison with a group of mothers and young children conceived spontaneously. The following methods were used: included observation using videotaping and subsequent analysis of video recordings, interview, analysis of medical records, testing using the techniques: “Diagnostics of neuropsychic development of children of the first year of life” (E. L. Frucht), “Early diagnosis of mental development” for children 2—3 years old (E. A. Strebeleva), “Diagnostics of development of object activity” (E. O. Smirnova et al.), analysis of play interaction between mothers and children (M. E. Lantsburg), projective technique “Parental evaluations of children” (M. E. Lantsburg). The following results were obtained: in the first year of life, the frequency of occurrence of children with a conditionally normal level of development in the IVF group is significantly lower than in the spontaneously conceived group; in children conceived as a result of several (first three) IVF attempts, a positive age dynamics is observed: in the second year, the representation of normal mental development increases and by the end of early childhood reaches the corresponding indicator of the control group. At the same time, children conceived after multiple (fourth and more) IVF attempts do not show positive age dynamics: in all studied age slices, they significantly less often demonstrated a normal level of development than children conceived spontaneously or as a result of 1—3 IVF attempts. Object activity in infants of the IVF group is characterized by a significantly lower inclusion of object actions in communication with the mother compared to the control group; by the end of early childhood, there is a tendency to reduce this difference. In young children, mental retardation (compared to the conventional norm) is predominantly associated with a combination of primary biological conditions: IVF conception, prematurity, multiple births, and early completion of breastfeeding. A number of peculiarities in the attitudes toward children of IVF-conceived mothers compared to spontaneously conceived women were also revealed, both during pregnancy and during the child`s early childhood: women in the IVF group with positive attitudes toward the fact of pregnancy are more likely to have difficulties in identifying the timing of intrauterine fetal movements and to have an indifferent attitude toward them, as well as to experience discomfort from the movements. Women in the IVF group consider the birth of a child as a significant event that radically changed their perception of life. While the value of a child is high, mothers of the IVF group often have exaggerated expectations and make age-inappropriate demands on their children. Compared to women who conceived spontaneously during joint play with children, women in the IVF group are more likely to demonstrate the child`s achievements and regulate the child`s behavior without taking into account the child`s current state.