Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37265678›Full record

SynthesisBulletin of the World Health Organization2023

Effects of kangaroo mother care on maternal and paternal health: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Barsha Gadapani Pathak, Bireshwar Sinha, Neeraj Sharma, Sarmila Mazumder, Nita Bhandari

Open access · diamondAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
30.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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

31 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations for anti-racist, equity-focused NICU family mental health.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026
    Review
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Barsha Gadapani PathakCentre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, 45 Kalu Sarai, New Delhi, 110016, India.
Bireshwar SinhaCentre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, 45 Kalu Sarai, New Delhi, 110016, India.
Neeraj SharmaCentre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, 45 Kalu Sarai, New Delhi, 110016, India.
Sarmila MazumderCentre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, 45 Kalu Sarai, New Delhi, 110016, India.
Nita BhandariCentre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, 45 Kalu Sarai, New Delhi, 110016, India.
Society for Applied Studies · IN

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of kangaroo mother care for low-birth-weight and preterm infants on parents' mental and physical health. Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Register of Studies Online, PubMed Findings: The search identified 30 studies involving 7719 preterm or low-birth-weight infants. There was high-certainty evidence that kangaroo mother care substantially reduced the risk of moderate-to-severe postpartum maternal depressive symptoms compared with no kangaroo mother care (RR: 0.76; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.59 to 0.96). In addition, there was low-certainty evidence that kangaroo mother care reduced scores for maternal stress (SMD: -0.82; 95% CI: -1.32 to -0.32) and anxiety (SMD: -0.62; 95% CI: -1.01 to -0.23) and increased mother-infant attachment and bonding scores (SMD: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.27 to 2.10). Limited evidence indicated father-infant interactions may be improved, though no marked effect on paternal depression or stress was observed. No trial reported parental physical health outcomes. Conclusion: Kangaroo mother care for preterm and low-birth-weight infants was associated with less postpartum maternal depression, stress and anxiety and better mother-infant attachment and bonding. More research is required to evaluate effects on paternal health.

Indexed as

Kangaroo-Mother Care MethodMothersFathersFemaleHumansInfant, Low Birth WeightInfant, NewbornInfant, PrematureMale

Identifiers

PMID37265678
PMCPMC10225947
OpenAlexW4379057558

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.