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Published on: January 7, 2020
Acoustic Features, Parental Perception and Developmental Correlations of Crying in Preterm Infants: A Systematic
Giselle V Mannarino1,2, Suhail R Ali-Briceño1, Álvaro Bejarano-Martín1,2,3
1Institute for Community Inclusion (INCO), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Insights
Preterm infants do not show significant differences in cry acoustic features compared to full-term infants. More research is needed to understand preterm infant crying patterns and their developmental links.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Acoustic Analysis
Background:
- Infants born preterm often exhibit altered social-emotional communication.
- Infant crying is a primary communication method offering insights into neurodevelopment.
- Understanding preterm infant cries is crucial for early detection of developmental issues.
Conclusions:
- Limited and heterogeneous evidence prevents generalizable conclusions on preterm infant cry acoustics.
- Further research with standardized reporting is needed to clarify preterm infant crying characteristics and developmental associations.
Abstract:
Infants born preterm present a higher likelihood of differences in social and emotional communication. Crying, as the earliest form of human communication, may provide valuable information about early neurodevelopment. Understanding its acoustic characteristics and how caregivers perceive it can help identify early patterns linked to communication and emotional regulation. Although several studies have explored crying in different clinical and developmental contexts, research focusing specifically on preterm infants (PT) remains fragmented. This study aimed to review and synthesize studies on PT crying and infant colic, including acoustic features, perception by adults, and correlations with developmental outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted including observational studies assessing crying in children under 36 months. Searches were performed in Web of Science, SCOPUS, and EBSCO. Study quality and bias were evaluated using STROBE and a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Fifty-three studies met inclusion criteria. Fundamental frequency (f0) was the only acoustic feature reported with sufficient consistency for quantitative synthesis. The meta-analysis showed no significant pooled PT-FT difference in f0 (Hedges' g = 0.32; 95% CI: -0.27-0.91), with substantial heterogeneity. Some studies suggested increased prevalence of excessive crying and infant colic in PT infants and differences in adults' perceptions of PT cries, but findings were inconsistent. Developmental associations were also mixed, with some studies linking excessive crying to poorer cognitive, behavioral, or parental-stress outcomes. The evidence base was too limited and methodologically heterogeneous to support a single generalizable preterm-full-term difference in cry acoustic features. Because quantitative synthesis was feasible only for f0, the review prioritized narrative synthesis across acoustic, perceptual, infant colic, and developmental-correlation outcomes. We provide preliminary reporting considerations intended to improve transparency and comparability in future studies of crying.
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