Interventions to Support Parents Whose Babies Cry Excessively: Systematic Review.
Ayten Bilgin, Alice Betteridge, Jayne Brown et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed comparative studies of interventions supporting parents of babies aged ≤1 year with excessive crying. Meta-analysis found that educational interventions significantly reduced parental stress or anxiety. Analyses of studies giving probiotics to infants found significant improvements in parental quality of life, but not parental depression. Narrative findings for other interventions were mixed. The review found no safety data and limited economic evidence, and concluded that educational and probiotic approaches show promise while further controlled trials and cost-effectiveness analyses are needed.
Key findings
- Educational interventions significantly reduced parental stress or anxiety in meta-analysis.
- Infant probiotic studies showed significant improvement in parental quality of life, but not parental depression.
- Narrative analyses of interventions produced mixed findings; components shared by successful educational interventions were identified.
- The review found no safety data and limited economic evidence.
Why it matters
Excessive infant crying can be associated with substantial parental distress and adverse family outcomes. Evidence that educational support may reduce stress or anxiety, and that infant probiotics may improve parental quality of life, helps clarify which approaches merit further evaluation. However, the evidence base does not yet establish safety or cost-effectiveness.
What to keep in mind
Few studies measured sufficiently similar parental outcomes for pooling, and risk of bias ranged from unclear to high. Safety data were absent and economic evidence was limited.