Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

Preterm infants are at risk of developing several neurological abnormalities mainly due to their immaturity compared to the term population. This is due to the atypical hearing environment in which they find themselves during hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit but at the same time also to the long and premature separation from their parents. There are numerous studies that speak of the short-term effects of early vocal contact on the stability of the neurovegetative functions of the preterm infant. Heart rate variability (HRV), as an index of autonomic nervous system maturity, is currently still little studied among the effects of maternal voice in the preterm infant. The current study aims to investigate the effects of early vocal contact on some physiological parameters and on the neurological development of the preterm infant. 25 infants aged 25 to 32 weeks and 6 days with no specific abnormalities were considered. Participants were randomized into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention consists in making the mother sing and speak, who remains close to the incubator for 20 minutes divided into 10 singing and 10 speaking and the other way around. During the interventions, variations in the infant's heart rate were recorded. The data analyzed so far are preliminary because they are too few to be considered significant for the purposes of the study. Based on these it can be said that only in the singing session is a better HRV and therefore a greater activation of the vagal tone. No variations were observed in the pre and post intervention.