Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Nov 16, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Nov 16, 2021 - Jan 11, 2022
Date Accepted: Feb 2, 2022
Date Submitted to PubMed: Apr 18, 2022
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Cognitive function, mental health and quality of life in siblings of preterm born children: a protocol for a systematic review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Children and adults born preterm are at increased risk of cognitive impairments, mental health disorders and poorer quality of life. Epidemiological studies have shown that the impact of preterm birth extends to the immediate family members, however existing research have focused on parents and little attention has been given to siblings.
Objective:
The aim of the systematic review described in this protocol is to synthesise currently available evidence on the impact of exposure to preterm birth (i.e. having a sibling born preterm) on cognition, mental health and quality of life of term born siblings (index child) of preterm born children, and critically appraise the evidence.
Methods:
This protocol outlines a systematic review designed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) checklist. We will include all studies which assess outcomes in siblings of children born preterm. Quantitative and qualitative studies will be eligible for the systematic review and only studies in English will be included. Firstly, search will be conducted electronically on PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Mednar and opengrey.eu databases and, secondly, manually in Google Scholar and reference lists. The search strategy will include keywords and synonyms, Boolean operators and text words. The team of reviewers will screen the search results, extract data from eligible studies and critically appraise the studies. Analysis will involve both descriptive and quantitative approaches. Meta-analysis will be conducted if appropriate.
Results:
This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO on the 18th of December 2020, and it is currently in progress. The findings will be synthesised to determine the effect of preterm birth on full-term siblings and the quality of the available evidence.
Conclusions:
The evidence derived from this study will shed light into gaps and limitations in the field of preterm birth, more specifically, the effect of preterm birth on full-term siblings. In addition, we hope that understanding the impact of preterm birth on family members will inform targeted interventions and policies for those identified at high risk and how to mitigate health risks. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021222887
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Copyright
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