Labeling effects of infant health and parent demographics on nurses' ratings of preterm infant behavior

Nurses in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) provide early influences on hospitalized infants' neurobehavioral and social-emotional development. Hence it is important to examine their perceptions of preterm infants. This research employed a 2 × 2 factorial design to examine the labeling effects of infant health status and parent demographics on 52 NICU nurses' ratings of premature infant behavior, attractive ness, general health, and responsiveness to developmental intervention. Behavioral descriptors were provided to orient participants to the infant behaviors they were to observe. MANCOVA and univariate ANCOVAs revealed significant differences as a function of the infant health variable, but not parent demographics, on the Premature Infant Behavior, Attractiveness, and General Health scales. Ratings were significantly more positive for the infant described as healthy compared with the one identified as having lung damage. The results extend the prematurity prejudice literature and highlight the need to recognize the operations of stereotypes and the possibility of self-fulfilling prophecies. Future research directions are outlined.