Evidence map›Paper›PMID 12695379›Full record

ArticleCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2003

Effectiveness of a parent "buddy" program for mothers of very preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Michele Preyde, Frida Ardal

Abstract readComparative StudyEvaluation Study
PubMed Full text at PMC
In one paragraph

Article in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

51 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Peer support telephone calls for improving health.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2008
    Pooled it
  6. Giving parents support: a randomized trial of peer support for parents after NICU discharge.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2022
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  14. Understanding and addressing mental health challenges of families admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Michele PreydeDepartment of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont.
Frida Ardal

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveVery preterm birth (< 30 weeks' gestation) is a stressful event for parents, and few support interventions for these parents have been evaluated. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of parent-to-parent peer support for mothers of very preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

methodsIn this cohort study, 32 mothers were recruited for the intervention group from the Mount Sinai Hospital and 28 mothers were recruited for the control group from the Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, both located in Toronto. The NICUs of these hospitals serve the same region and accept referrals on alternate days. Mothers in the intervention group were paired with trained mothers who had previously had a very preterm infant in the NICU and who provided principally telephone support. Participants in both groups received standard medical and social work services. Primary outcome data consisted of self-reported, standardized measures of parental stress, state anxiety and depression. Secondary measures included self-reported, standardized measures of perceived social support and trait anxiety.

resultsAt 4 weeks after enrolment in the study, mothers in the intervention group reported less stress than those in the control group (mean score 1.54 v. 2.93, p < 0.001). At 16 weeks after enrolment, the intervention group reported less state anxiety (mean score 31.4 v. 38.6, p < 0.05), less depression (mean score 2.20 v. 4.88, p < 0.01) and greater perceived social support (mean score 6.49 v. 5.48, p < 0.01) than the control group. There was no difference between the groups in terms of trait anxiety. Of the 24 mothers who evaluated the program, 21 (87.5%) indicated that it was very helpful or helpful.

interpretationSupport from individual, trained peers was found to be effective in helping mothers deal with the stress of very preterm birth.

Indexed as

Infant, PrematureInfant, Very Low Birth WeightIntensive Care Units, NeonatalMother-Child RelationsProgram EvaluationSocial SupportAdaptation, PsychologicalAdultAnxietyCohort StudiesDepressionFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornInfant WelfareMale

Identifiers

PMID12695379
PMCPMC152679

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.