The Contribution of Parent-infant Interaction While Singing During Kangaroo Care, on Preterm-infants' Autonomic Stability and Parental Anxiety Reduction
Condition: PreTerm Birth; Stress Reaction
MeSH terms: Premature Birth; Fractures, Stress
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The current study will investigate the combination of the two modalities in a mixed-methods
      design, in order to provide comprehensive knowledge regarding the effects of family-centered
      MT during KC, on premature-infants' autonomic nervous system stability (measured by
      parasympathetic tone, physiological vital signs and behavioral states); Parents' anxiety
      levels; And parents' unique experiences of the intervention. Additionally, the study will
      analyze separately mothers and fathers to elucidate similar and different effects
    

Detailed description: 
      Premature infants and their parents are prone to high anxiety levels and a risk of
      experiencing trauma due to the preterm birth and its implications. Facing various emotional
      physical and neural high-risk factors may lead to continuous stress reactions in both the
      infant and parents, affecting their well being, the parent-infant relationship and the
      infant's medical state outcome. Attending to both infants' emotional and physiological needs
      of stability and comfort, as well as parents' support, can lead to an improvement in the
      premature infants' medical state and the parent-infant bonding process. Furthermore, reducing
      stress reaction facilitates perceptual memory and learning in premature infants. Two well
      established interventions in the neonatal care aiming to address the varied premature-family
      needs are Kangaroo care (KC) and Music Therapy (MT). Various research and clinical reports
      over the last three decades, regarding each modality, has shown beneficial effects in
      improvement and stabilization of infants' medical state, inclusion of parents in their
      infants' treatment and in facilitation of meaningful parent-infant interactions to promoting
      bonding patterns. However, a major lack of rigorous Randomized control studies presenting the
      clinical applications of MT techniques and methods in the NICU care exists, as well as only
      few research have positioned the parents in center of investigation, and/or presented their
      outcome and perspective. Accordingly, only few research have investigated the combination of
      MT and KC through an RCT. The current study will investigate the combination of the two
      modalities in a mixed-methods design, in order to provide comprehensive knowledge regarding
      the effects of family-centered MT during KC, on premature-infants' autonomic nervous system
      stability (measured by parasympathetic tone, physiological vital signs and behavioral
      states); Parents' anxiety levels; And parents' unique experiences of the intervention.
      Additionally, the study will analyze separately mothers and fathers to elucidate similar and
      different effects
    

Intervention name(s): Music therapy and Kangaroo care; Kangaroo Care alone
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Mother holding baby in skin to skin position while singing; Mother holding baby in skin to skin position without singing
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care