The Effect of a Social-Emotional Intervention on the Development of Preterm Infants in Institutions.
Daria I Chernego, Robert B McCall, Shannon B Wanless and 5 others
PMID 29398781WHAT IT FOUND
Preterm infants in institutional care with caregiver training and structural changes showed 2.25 points every 3 months faster growth on developmental scores than those in usual care.
They still scored below full-term peers.
Key findings
01Being in the intervention Baby Home was related to development 2.25 points every 3 months faster than being in the no-intervention Baby Home.
02Preterm children in the intervention Baby Home had higher developmental levels than preterm children in the no-intervention Baby Home at 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months, with reported p values .028, .011, .039, .024, and .053.
03Preterm children began the study over 20 points behind full-term children and developed 0.55 points every 3 months faster than full-term children, but full-term children still scored better at each age.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The intervention was given to one Baby Home and usual care to another, so group differences could reflect other institutional differences. The sample was small and excluded children with severe diagnoses or disabilities, so results may not apply to more complex preterm infants. The paper states 149 children were included, but lists four groups of 22, 48, 35, and 45, so the analysed sample is unclear. Many children left the homes, and missing data were 38% at 6 months and 77% at 24 months. Analyses covered only 3 to 24 months because too few children remained at 36 and 48 months. The intervention had multiple components, so the contribution of caregiver training and structural changes cannot be separated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that caregiver training alone caused the faster development. The intervention also included structural changes, and the study did not separate their contributions. Do not conclude that preterm children caught up to full-term children. They still scored lower than full-term children at each age.