Maintaining Momentum in Infant Mental Health Research During COVID-19: Adapting Observational Assessments

Abstract

Understanding the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the developing parent-infant relationship is a priority, especially for medically-fragile infants and their caregivers who face distinct challenges and stressors. Observational assessments can provide important insights into parent-child behaviors and relational risk; however, stay-at-home directives and physical distancing measures associated with COVID-19 have significantly limited opportunities for in-person observational parent-infant assessment. To maintain momentum in our research program during the pandemic, we rapidly pivoted to remote, technology-assisted parent-infant observational assessments. In this commentary, we offer a series of strategies and recommendations to assist researchers in adapting observational parent-infant paradigms. We also discuss the benefits, challenges, and limitations of distance-delivered assessments, and offer considerations for clinical service provision and future research during and post the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessment of Neurodevelopment in Infants With and Without Exposure to Asymptomatic or Mild Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Pregnancy

“…We conducted the DAYC-2 via a web-based video platform (Zoom), which deviates from standard administration, and the lack of validation of this mode of administration is a substantial limitation. However, this modification confers several important benefits, 29 including the observation of infants in a naturalistic home environment, which may represent the infant’s behavior more accurately than what is typically observed in a clinic. Had we conducted the assessment in person, research personnel would have been required to use personal protective equipment, including masks and face shields, which may have had substantial implications for performance on the assessment.…”

Short report: Experiences of Caregivers Participating in a Telehealth Evaluation of Development for Infants (TEDI)

“…Telehealth-based evaluations may be particularly well-suited to evaluations of young infants because evaluation and parent coaching with infants involves such a strong focus on observation of naturalistic parent-child interactions, versus evaluations with older toddlers and children where direct interaction with an examiner via standardized assessment is more routine and developmentally appropriate (Lotzin et al, 2015 ; Srinivasan et al, 2021 ; Tesson et al, 2021 ). While providers have substantially increased the use of telehealth-based observational tools for conducting ASD-related diagnostic assessments with toddlers and older individuals, telehealth-based administration of standardized assessments remains a barrier for the field (Srinivasan et al, 2021 ; Wagner et al, 2021 ).…”

Bringing the laboratory into the home: A protocol for remote biobehavioral data collection in pregnant women with emotion dysregulation and their infants

“…Tablets and WiFi hotspots are reasonably priced, and these additions to our protocol allowed us to reach low-income participants who do not have access to computing or internet resources. More general recommendations on adapting existing research protocol or conducting clinical research with perinatal and pediatric populations during the COVID-19 pandemic are described elsewhere (Stiles-Shields et al, 2020; Tesson et al, 2021).…”