Meta-Analysis: Effect of Interventions to Reduce the Stress Level of Parents of Premature Babies

Abstract

Introduction: The preterm birth of a baby stresses the parents, due to the risk of increased morbidity and mortality. Some interventionsdecrease parental stress levels while benefiting the neurodevelopment of the newborn. Objective: To categorize the main componentsof early intervention programs and to determine their effect in decreasing the stress levels of parents of hospitalized prematurebabies. Method: Meta-analysis with 9 controlled clinical trials that met the criteria of methodological rigor. Results: The interventionsapplied to parents of hospitalized premature babies showed a medium-low intensity effect on the perceived stress level (d=0.36 IC [-0.68,-0.05]). However, heterogeneity tests indicate high inter-study variability (Q(df=8) = p-val: <0.00001), I2=85% ), partially explained bythe moderating coded features for the studies. Conclusions: Even though the interventions revealed positive effects in reducing parentalstress levels, it is shown that education and emotional support achieve a better effect together. Future research should examine aspectssuch as the quality of studies, interventions with emotional support, parental age and diversity in application contexts.

DOI: 10.5294/aqui.2016.16.3.2