The present paper brings considerations on the development in the infant's early years, counterposing important points within the psychoanalytic theory and objectal relations theory, as well as focusing contemporary authors. Aspects such as the importance of early relations, a brief history of neonatal care procedures and the mother-infant interaction in risk birth situations, especially in cases of premature birth, are approached. In these situations, the processes of formation of initial links and affection can pose difficulties. We mused about the potential interventions for promotion and prevention in collective health, directed at families that have their infants hospitalized at the neonatal intensive care unit, seeking a better life quality for those involved in this process. Formulations that may come to prevent the emergence of general developmental disorders are mentioned, suggesting that they give rise to questions to be discussed in the field of collective health care.
Collective health; Promotion and prevention in health care; Premature birth; Affection