Even though parents felt less anxious after doing sensory activities with their preemie, they didn’t feel significantly more connected to their baby or more confident as parents after six months.
Scientific Claim
A home-based integrated sensory stimulation program does not significantly improve mother-infant bonding or parenting competence in parents of preterm infants at six months, despite improvements in anxiety and depression, indicating that mental health gains may not automatically translate to enhanced bonding or self-efficacy.
Original Statement
“Bonding slightly improved from three to six months, but this change was not significantly different from baseline. No statistically significant differences were observed in parenting competence.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The RCT design supports causal claims about lack of effect. The authors correctly report non-significant findings, and the claim accurately reflects the data without understatement.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
Effects of home-based integrated sensory stimulation program to preterm infants on parents’ depression and anxiety: a randomized controlled trial
The study only checked if parents felt less sad or anxious, but never checked if they bonded better with their baby or felt more confident as parents — so we can’t say whether the claim is right or wrong.