Introduction:

infant withdrawal is a sign of risk for deviations in child development and mental health associated with sustained disturbances in parent-infant interaction. For this study, a group of pediatricians, family doctors and other professionals of the Primary Care Level of a health center in an area of high social vulnerability was trained including an interdisciplinary perspective regarding the impact of early interactions on the neurodevelopment and psychological and emotional health of the first years of life. Similarly, we applied an internationally validated instrument for the detection of withdrawal (ADBB scale, Alarme Détresse Bébé, Guedeney

2001) and strategies to promote infant social skills during the pediatric check-ups.

Objective:

the study was to evaluate the effect of this approach in the pediatric follow-up of a group of infants through the detection of withdrawal and to compare it with another group assisted in the same center that did not receive the same approach.

Material and methods:

withdrawal with ADBB was detected in 101 infants aged 2 to 11 months filmed in pediatric controls during 2016-2017 in a public health center in Montevideo. In total, 58 had pediatric follow-up with four pediatricians and one family physician using the approach proposed in this study and were evaluated with ADBB in two stages, between 2 and 5 months and between 8 and 11 months of age. The remaining 43 attended the usual pediatric control at the health center and were evaluated with ADBB between 8 and 11 months. All infants were evaluated with ADBB by independent experts.

Results:

of the 58 infants treated with the approach proposed in this study, 22% presented withdrawal between 2 and 5 months, and 14% between 8 and 11 months. In the group attended in regular pediatric check-ups without using the proposed approach, 53% of withdrawal was detected between 8 and 11 months of age (p <0.001).

Conclusions:

the early detection of withdrawal to gether with strategies for the promotion of infant social skills during pediatric follow-up could favor a more comprehensive and preventive health perspective and enable practitioners to focus on the children neurodevelopmental and mental health from primary care assistance.

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