The effect of parent-administered infant massage on the developmental outcomes of premature infants

Abstract

Introduction: Prematurely born infants often have developmental delays in multiple areas when compared to infants born at term. Neurodevelopmental supportive care techniques such as Kangaroo Mother Care or infant massage have the potential to affect the infant's developmental outcome. Evidence supports the benefits of parent-administered infant massage in terms of the premature infants' growth, weight gain and length of hospitalisation. However, the effect of infant massage on other aspects of development has not yet been established. Method: A randomised controlled trial was used to investigate the developmental milestones of infants who received parent-administered infant massage. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition (PDMS-2) test was used to assess infants at birth and again at four to six months (actual age) along with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition (BSID-III).Results: Positive clinical effect sizes were shown in the massaged group in the Cognitive, Reflexes and Visual-Motor Integration subtests. There was also a strong correlation between frequency of massage and the social-emotional development of the massaged infants. Facilitators and barriers, in performing the infant massage programme, were established. Conclusion:This study supports the use of parent-administered infant massage for premature infants older than 32 weeks gestation to assist with the attainment of their developmental milestones as well as the parent-infant bonding process.

Effects of massage therapy on preterm infants and their mothers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…Two of these studies ( 23 , 24 ) used Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scores (NBAS) and Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) to assess the motor function of preterm infants before and after receiving the intervention. One study used the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (BSID-III) ( 25 ), while the other study ( 39 ) used direct observation of infant limb and trunk movements to assess whether massage therapy improved motor function in preterm infants. Massage therapy had no statistically significant effect on improving the motor function in preterm infants, according to the four studies that evaluated its effectiveness on motor function in preterm infants.…”

“…All 15 included studies used massage therapy as an intervention for preterm infants. Twelve of these studies used the Field protocol ( 21 – 23 , 25 – 28 , 37 – 41 ), which consists of massage therapy starting at a corrected gestational age of 35 weeks for five consecutive days, one hour after feeding, three times a day for 15 min. Each treatment was divided into 5 min of tactile stimulation, followed by 5 min of kinesthetic stimulation, and then another 5 min of tactile stimulation ( 46 ).…”

“…In addition to this, there are the Vimala protocol ( 15 ) and the Vaymal protocol ( 32 ). Massage is usually performed by massage therapists, systematically trained researchers, or parents of premature infants ( 21 , 25 , 27 ).…”

“…Our search of the relevant literature revealed that previous systematic evaluations and reviews have reported the facilitating effect of massage therapy on the above outcome indicators (weight gain, enhanced immunity, improved cognition, etc.) ( 17 – 19 ); however, there is still controversy as to whether massage therapy can improve mother-infant attachment ( 20 , 21 ), calorie intake ( 22 ), motor function ( 23 , 24 ), reflexes ( 23 , 25 ), body temperature ( 26 , 27 ), and oxygen saturation ( 24 , 28 ) in preterm infants. Therefore, this study conducted a meta-analysis of the above indicators to assess the efficacy of massage therapy in preterm infants.…”

Affective touch in the context of development, oxytocin signaling, and autism

“…In humans, pediatric massage is extensively used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and has consistently been shown to produce beneficial effects in premature infants, most notably for promoting growth and health and earlier discharge from NICUs (see Field, 2002 , 2019 ; Badr et al, 2015 ; Niemi, 2017 ; Liao et al, 2021 ). Additionally, studies have reported positive results of massage on immune system ( Karamian et al, 2022 ) as well as on cognitive and visual function and visuomotor integration ( Guzzetta et al, 2009 ; Fontana et al, 2020 ; Campbell and Jacobs, 2021 ) and on the strength of mother–infant bonding ( Shoghi et al, 2018 ). Currently, many different forms of pediatric massage have been used across cultures.…”