Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40374965›Full record

Trial reportPediatric research2026

Reduction of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parental perceptions of child vulnerability and risk of vulnerable child syndrome utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy: randomized controlled trial.

Margaret K Hoge, Elizabeth Heyne, Steven Brown, Roy Heyne, Richard J Shaw, Lina Chalak

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Pediatric research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03906435 (Parental Perception of Child Vulnerability in the NICU and Development Outcomes), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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.

NCT03906435 narecruitingnot on this map

Parental Perception of Child Vulnerability in the NICU and Development Outcomes: A Randomized Control Trial Preventative Intervention With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterRan2019 to 2026Enrolled100ConditionsPremature Infant, Mental Health Issue (E.G., Depression, Psychosis, Personality Disorder, Substance Abuse), Development, Child, Parent-Child RelationsArmsCognitive Behavioral Therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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

6 authors.

Margaret K HogeDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA. margaret.hoge@utsouthwestern.edu.
Elizabeth HeyneDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Steven BrownDepartment of Health Systems Research, Parkland Health, Dallas, TX, USA.
Roy Heyne *Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Richard J Shaw *Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Lina Chalak *Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parental emotional trauma can distort parental perceptions of child vulnerability (PPCV), resulting in adverse child developmental outcomes, known as Vulnerable Child Syndrome (VCS). We hypothesize utilizing a novel trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention will reduce PPCV in premature NICU infants' parents.

methodsEnglish and Spanish speaking parents of preterm infants (<31 weeks gestational age) were randomized from April 2019 to March 2020 to receive either a 5-session trauma-informed CBT intervention created for this study educating parents on PPCV concepts, or to a control group receiving standard of care. Principal outcome measure was PPCV change measured by the Vulnerable Baby Scale (VBS) scores from enrollment (33 weeks post menstrual age) to study end (6 months chronological age).

results8 control and 12 intervention families completed the study (n = 42 randomized) due to COVID-19 mandatory research pause. CBT intervention group had a median VBS decrease of 6 points vs. 0 point in controls (P = 0.07). Post-hoc Bayesian analysis of VBS PPCV reduction (utilized due to limited n) favored CBT to control by 95%.

conclusionThis is the first parental trauma-informed CBT intervention to demonstrate a PPCV decrease and lower risk of development of VCS in a high-risk NICU population. IMPACT: A brief intervention shows promise in fostering improved parenting perceptions, behaviors, and outcomes. NICU parental trauma negatively impacts parental perceptions of child vulnerability and their parenting styles resulting in poor child developmental outcomes, summarized as Vulnerable Child Syndrome (VCS). Currently, there is no effective treatment standard of care to address this important clinical issue. This manuscript contributes to our understanding of the following: Trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy lowers parents' perceptions of vulnerability in an at-risk NICU population. This is the first published intervention to demonstrate efficacy in reducing NICU parental perceptions of child vulnerability, a key contributor to VCS. Implementation of this intervention with NICU families has the potential to reduce the risk of VCS and improve parent-child outcomes and child developmental outcomes. CLINICAL

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03906435.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyIntensive Care Units, NeonatalParentsAdultChild DevelopmentFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornInfant, PrematureMale

Identifiers

PMID40374965
PMCPMC12920105

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Registered trials

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.