Hair collection protocol in 12-month-old infants

Autor(es)

Defelipe, Renata Pereira ; Francischelli, Isabella ; Pacheco, Beatriz ; Araujo, Patricia Pereira ; Mesquita, Ana Raquel ; Ribeiro, Miriam Oliveira ; Correa, Murilo ; Osorio, Ana

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY; v. 19, p. 6-pg., 2024-07-08.

Resumo

Purpose: Most studies assessing hair cortisol were conducted with adults. As specific guidelines for infant hair collection are lacking, we developed a hair collection protocol for 12-month-old infants and assessed its acceptability and feasibility. Results: Out of the total (N = 45), 95.6 % (n = 43) of caregivers consented to the procedure, while one caregiver did not consent (2.2 %), and another requested the procedure to be halted before required amount of hair had been reached (2.2 %). Furthermore, two (4.4 %) infants did not have enough hair for collection. There was no attrition due to infant fussiness/crying. Discussion: We learned five lessons which can help to enhance reproducibility, mother's consent, and motherinfant comfort and acceptance of the procedure. The first lesson is to have the infant sit on the caregiver's lap to ensure the infant feels safe and remains relatively still. The second is to reassure caregivers by showing hair samples representing the amount to be cut as well as by clarifying no unaesthetic gaps would be visible. The third is to caress the infant's head to habituate them to the hair manipulation and to make soap bubbles as distractors. The fourth is to take extra care when securing the lock of hair for cutting because the infant scalp is thin and malleable. The fifth is to place a precision scale in the collection room to ensure the necessary weight is reached. Conclusion: Our hair collection protocol developed for 12-month-old infants was deemed feasible and acceptable, filled an important literature gap concerning the absence of published protocols for infants, and will contribute to increase the replicability and collection efficiency for other research teams. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 21/06693-4 - A importância do toque social para o desenvolvimento sócio-emocional infantil: integrando evidências de neuroimagem, psicofisiológicas, endócrinas e comportamentais
• Beneficiário: Ana Alexandra Caldas Osório
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores - Fase 2
• Processo FAPESP: 23/10038-7 - Sensibilidade materna e a resposta endócrina ao estresse em bebês
• Beneficiário: Julia Carnauba Terra
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado
• Processo FAPESP: 23/09990-5 - Relação entre a sensibilidade materna e o processamento neural ao toque materno em bebês.
• Beneficiário: Isabella Germinhasi Francischelli
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado
• Processo FAPESP: 23/16192-8 - Comportamento de toque materno e produção de cortisol infantil
• Beneficiário: Beatriz Pacheco Bispo
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Iniciação Científica
• Processo FAPESP: 23/04029-5 - Respostas neurais ao toque
• Beneficiário: Renata Pereira de Felipe
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado