Interactive Guidance Intervention to Address Sustained Social Withdrawal in Preterm Infants in Chile: Protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal development and developmental psychology.
• Clinical trials and intervention studies.

Background:

• Preterm infants face significant perinatal stress, increasing risks for altered socioemotional development.
• Sustained social withdrawal in infants is an early indicator of emotional distress and is linked to later psychological development.
• Preterm infants have a higher probability of developing sustained social withdrawal compared to full-term infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare an interactive guidance intervention with routine care for sustained social withdrawal in moderate to late preterm infants.
• To explore the relationship between social withdrawal and factors like NICU hospitalization, parental depression, and PTSD symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter randomized controlled trial involving 110 moderate and late preterm infants and their parents.
• Data collection included skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, parental visits, neonatal pain scores, and invasive procedures during NICU hospitalization.
• Infants were assessed for sustained social withdrawal using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale at 2, 6, and 12 months corrected age; parents completed depression and PTSD questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Enrollment of 110 infants was completed by May 2020.
• Study results are anticipated for publication by mid-2021.
• The trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03212547).

Conclusions:

• This is the first RCT of an interactive guidance intervention for moderate/late preterm infants during pediatric follow-up.
• The intervention, delivered by neonatologists trained in the Alarm Distress Baby Scale, targets sustained social withdrawal.
• If successful, this low-cost intervention has significant potential for public and private healthcare implementation.