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Colic for developmentalists

Infant Mental Health JournalPublished 1 January 1990
Barry M. Lester, C. F. Zachariah Boukydis, Cynthia García-Coll, William T. Hole
Citations57
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.22
SNIP1.09

TL;DR

It is concluded that many components of colic have long-term consequences for the parent-infant relationship, and some directions for colic management are briefly considered.

Abstract

Our understanding of the etiology, pathophysiology, sequelae, incidence, and management of colic is hampered by the absence of a standard definition and accepted clinical criteria for colic. In this paper we distinguish colic from excessive crying and offer a set of criteria that can be used in clinical practice to determine if an infant has colic or excessive crying. We also discuss differences between colic and excessive crying from a developmental perspective, including biological and transactional components. We conclude that many components have long-term consequences for the parent-infant relationship, and we briefly consider some directions for colic management.

Keywords

PsychologyMedicineHealth Professions