Follow-Up of Preterm Births: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This work aimed to map studies on the follow-up of premature infants in psychology. The BVS portal was searched for empirical articles published until December 2017 by the descriptors prematur* AND follow up AND child AND psychology. Considering the criteria adopted, 48 articles were analyzed in the categories: age group of preterm infants in evaluations; objectives of the study; type of assessment performed; and results. It is noteworthy that half performed follow-up between birth and adolescence, most investigated neuropsychological development and found associations between prematurity, cognitive and psychological deficits. Thus, it is understood that studies prioritize the repercussions on the development of functions and skills of premature babies, giving little attention to psychic aspects and child-parent-environment interactions.

Keywords:
prematurity; follow-up; systematic review; psychology