Effects of Family Nurture Intervention in the NICU on Theory of Mind Abilities in Children Born Very Preterm: A...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Neonatal Medicine
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Preterm infants face risks for socioemotional and neurodevelopmental deficits, including impaired theory of mind (ToM).
• Early life experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can impact long-term cognitive development.
• Identifying interventions to mitigate these risks is crucial for improving outcomes in preterm populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) on theory of mind (ToM) skills in preterm infants.
• To determine if FNI can ameliorate social-cognitive deficits associated with extremely preterm birth.
• To assess the long-term effects of NICU-based interventions on child development.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial comparing Standard Care (SC) with Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) in preterm infants.
• Children completed a theory of mind (ToM) task at a median age of approximately 61.8 months.
• Statistical analysis compared ToM task performance between FNI and SC groups, focusing on infants born extremely to very preterm.

Main Results:

• Children who received FNI demonstrated significantly higher rates of passing the ToM task compared to those receiving SC (78% vs. 30%).
• A large effect size (1.06) was observed, indicating a substantial difference between the FNI and SC groups.
• These findings were particularly pronounced in infants born extremely preterm.

Conclusions:

• Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) provided in the NICU may effectively improve theory of mind (ToM) abilities in preterm infants.
• FNI shows potential to mitigate social-cognitive deficits in extremely preterm children by school age.
• This intervention represents a promising strategy for enhancing developmental trajectories in high-risk preterm populations.