Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Electrophysiological Measurements and Analysis of Nociception in Human Infants
Published on: December 20, 2011
Parental experience of neonatal pain research while participating in the Parental touch trial (Petal)
Marianne van der Vaart1, Annalisa G V Hauck1, Roshni Mansfield1,2
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Insights
Parents participating in neonatal research trials reported altruistic motivations and positive experiences, feeling useful and reassured when providing gentle touch during painful procedures. Most parents were pleased with their involvement and willing to participate in future studies.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric pain management
- Clinical trial participation
Background:
- Parental involvement is key in family-centered neonatal care.
- Parents experience varied emotions when administering pain relief to infants.
- The Parental Touch (Petal) trial investigated gentle parental touch's effect on neonatal pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parental motivations for participating in the Petal trial.
- To understand parents' experiences during trial participation.
- To assess parents' willingness for future research and their feelings during interventions.
Main Methods:
- An anonymous survey was administered to 106 parents of infants in the Petal trial.
- The survey collected data on motivations, experiences, future willingness, and emotions during gentle touch interventions.
- Data was analyzed to identify primary motivators and reported feelings.
Main Results:
- Altruistic motivations, such as future benefit to infants and advancing scientific understanding, were primary drivers for participation.
- Providing gentle touch during painful procedures was associated with positive emotions like feeling "useful" (64%) and "reassured" (53%).
- Nearly all parents (98%) were pleased with their participation and open to future studies.
Conclusions:
- Structuring clinical trials with parental involvement enhances participation and positive experiences.
- Opportunities for parents to provide comfort during painful procedures are crucial.
- Parental engagement in neonatal care research is highly valued and beneficial.
Abstract:
Parental involvement in neonatal comfort care is a core component of family-centred care. Yet, parents experience a range of positive and negative feelings when providing pain-relieving interventions for their infants. Parents of infants who participated in the Parental touch trial ( Petal ), a multicentre randomised controlled trial investigating the impact of gentle parental touch on neonatal pain, were asked to complete an anonymous survey. This survey aimed to (1) explore parent-reported motivations in deciding to participate in the Petal trial; (2) understand parent-reported experiences related to trial participation; (3) understand parents' willingness to participate in future studies; and (4) evaluate parent-reported feelings while they were delivering a gentle touch intervention either before or after a clinically necessary blood test. One hundred six parents (1 parent per infant) took part in the survey. Primary motivators for participation were altruistic. Parents most frequently reported that they wanted their child to take part in the research because it has a potential benefit to babies in the future and because they wanted to improve scientific understanding. Parents reported that providing gentle touch to their children during painful procedures was associated with positive emotions, such as feeling "useful" (64%) and "reassured" (53%). Furthermore, nearly all parents (98%) were pleased to have participated in the Petal trial and would consider, or maybe consider, participating in further research studies. These results underscore the importance of structuring trials around parental involvement and providing opportunities for parents to be involved in providing comfort to their infants during necessary painful clinical procedures.
