Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on the psychological outcomes of parents with preterm infants: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Parents of preterm infants are often thrown unexpectedly into the care of their vulnerable infant, causing them to be stressed and overwhelmed. Social support has been previously highlighted as a crucial factor in helping parents cope with stress. Several psychosocial interventions have thus been developed to support par-ents of preterm babies, which warrant further investigations. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in reducing stress (primary outcome), anx-iety, depression, pediatric medical traumatic stress (PMTS) and increasing social support among parents with preterm infants. Methods: A systematic-review and meta-analysis were conducted. Eight electronic databases were searched for relevant studies from their respective inception dates till September 2023. Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan, using the random-effects model. Heterogeneity was investigated using Cochran Q and I2 tests, and pub-lication bias was assessed using funnel plots. Subgroup analyses were conducted for follow-up measurement, gender of parent, type of intervention provider, and setting. Findings: Eighteen studies were included in this review, and all studies were meta-analysed. Participants who re-ceived psychosocial interventions reported significantly lower stress and depression in comparison to control group participants. Psychosocial interventions delivered by psychologists and trained researchers were more ef-fective compared to the nurses. The GRADE assessment indicated that the certainty of evidence for all outcomes were very low. Conclusion: Psychosocial interventions effectively reduce stress and depression levels in parents with preterm in-fants. Our findings encourage the implementation of psychosocial interventions to improve parental psycholog-ical wellbeing. Future higher quality trials are needed to measure psychological outcomes among parents, especially fathers. (c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.