WIP 81 - The Effect of Reach Out and Read on Home Literacy Scores, Parental Stress, and Parent-Infant Bonding in the Neonatal ICU

Poster Number: WIP 81
Publication Number: WIP 81.756

Background: Preterm infants are at increased risk of cognitive and language deficits. Parents of these infants also experience high stress and report disruptions in bonding during their child’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay. Shared reading is a promising and low-cost intervention to improve developmental outcomes, reduce parental stress, and improve parent-infant bonding. Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a well-established program promoting shared reading in the outpatient setting which we hypothesize may show benefit in the NICU.

Objective: Evaluate the feasibility of ROR in a 50-bed level IV NICU, and evaluate its effects on parental stress, parent-infant bonding, and the home literacy environment.

Design/Methods: This is an IRB-approved, single-site, prospective, randomized, controlled trial with a target enrollment of 60 infants. Infants are eligible if born between 24-0/7 and 33-6/7 weeks gestation, and are enrolled by 2 weeks of age. Baseline characteristics of participants are collected via pre-intervention questionnaires (which include demographic information, home literacy environment score (HLS), assessment of parent-infant bonding using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), and parental stress using the State-Trait Anxiety Index (STAI-6)). Infants are randomized to ROR intervention biweekly or control (no ROR). ROR intervention includes a brief educational intervention and distribution of a book. The primary outcome measure is the HLS, STAI-6, and PBQ at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) or discharge (whichever is first) and at 3 months corrected gestational age (CGA). Our primary aim is to estimate the effect of ROR on the STAI-6, PBQ, and HLS using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models. Statistical inference will focus on the effect of study arm on PBQ/STAI-6/HLS at 36 weeks PMA and 3 months CGA, while adjusting for baseline HLS/PBQ/STAI-6 scores. To date 33 infants have been enrolled, with enrollment expected to be completed by February 2024; statistical analysis will take place in February and March 2024.