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Updated: Aug 22, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Parental visitation patterns during neonatal intensive care and neurodevelopment at 18 months' corrected age in very
Tomoko Saito1, Tomoyuki Shimokaze1, Yoshinori Inagaki1
1Department of Neonatology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Insights
Maternal time spent with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was linked to better neurodevelopmental outcomes. Increased maternal visitation time correlated with higher developmental quotients in very low birth weight infants at 18 months corrected age.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Perinatal psychology
Background:
- Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants face risks for adverse neurodevelopment.
- Parental involvement in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) may impact infant development.
- Parental visitation patterns in the NICU are not well-quantified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify parental visitation patterns (frequency and duration) in the NICU.
- To investigate the association between parental visitation and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- To determine the impact of maternal and paternal presence on infant development.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of infants born at <30 weeks gestation (<1500g birth weight).
- Parental visitation data (days/week, hours/week) collected via electronic records.
- Neurodevelopment assessed using the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development (DQ) at 18 months corrected age.
Main Results:
- Median maternal visitation: 6 days/week, 12.9 hours/week; paternal visitation: 3 days/week, 6.0 hours/week.
- Sibling presence correlated with reduced parental visitation time.
- Maternal visitation time showed a positive association with higher developmental quotients (adjusted β=0.47).
Conclusions:
- Maternal presence, measured by visitation time in the NICU, is associated with improved infant neurodevelopment.
- Quantifying visitation patterns provides insights into parental involvement during hospitalization.
- Findings highlight the importance of maternal engagement for VLBW infant neurodevelopmental trajectories.
Background:
Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are at risk for adverse neurodevelopment. Although parental involvement during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization might influence development, parental visitation patterns have rarely been quantified.
Methods:
This retrospective cohort study included infants born at <30 weeks' gestation (birth weight < 1500 g). Data on parental visitation patterns, specifically frequency (days/week) and visitation time (hours/week), were collected from electronic entry/exit card records throughout hospitalization and calculated as weekly indices using median values across the entire period. Neurodevelopment was assessed by the developmental quotient (DQ) of the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development at 18 months' corrected age.
Results:
Fifty-seven infants were included (median gestational age, 27.1 weeks; median birth weight, 934 g). The median weekly visitation frequencies for fathers and mothers were 3 (interquartile range [IQR], 2-4) and 6 (IQR, 4-7) days/week, respectively. The median weekly visitation times were 6.0 (IQR, 2.9-8.7) and 12.9 (IQR, 10.1-20.0) hours/week, respectively. The presence of siblings was associated with shorter parental visitation time. In multivariable analyses, the DQ was positively associated with maternal visitation time (adjusted β, 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.88).
Conclusions:
Maternal presence during NICU hospitalization, quantified by visitation time, was associated with a higher developmental quotient at 18 months' corrected age.
