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Open research questions in Infant Development and Preterm Care

458 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 3,037 Infant Development and Preterm Care papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Heavy clinical workloads and acute-care priorities often relegate prevention and developmental surveillance to the background. The current medical education and training programs do not adequately prepare caregivers to interact with infants in a way that supports neurodevelopmental health. There is a need to remove structural barriers to secure continuous parental presence and skin-to-skin contact as standards of care.

    Reconceptualizing the newborn: from Ó?feed-sleep-cleanÓ� to behavioral state, stress, and self-regulation surveillance as the foundation of neurodevelopment · 2026 · DOI

  • The traditional approach to newborn care neglects the importance of behavioral state, stress, and self-regulation signals. There is a lack of recognition of the newborn as a behaviorally competent being. The current medical education and training programs do not adequately prepare caregivers to interact with infants in a way that supports neurodevelopmental health.

    Reconceptualizing the newborn: from Ó?feed-sleep-cleanÓ� to behavioral state, stress, and self-regulation surveillance as the foundation of neurodevelopment · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies could investigate the long-term effects of spiritual care on PTG in mothers of preterm neonates. Research could explore the effectiveness of spiritual care in different cultural and religious contexts. Studies could examine the impact of spiritual care on other outcomes, such as anxiety and depression, in mothers of preterm neonates.

    The Impact of Spiritual Care on Posttraumatic Growth Among Mothers of Preterm Neonates After NICU Discharge: A Clinical Trial in Iran · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on the impact of spiritual care on posttraumatic growth in mothers of preterm neonates. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating the effect of spiritual care on posttraumatic growth in this population.

    The Impact of Spiritual Care on Posttraumatic Growth Among Mothers of Preterm Neonates After NICU Discharge: A Clinical Trial in Iran · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to examine the associations between different constructs of psychological distress, - Research should investigate the impact of environmental factors on psychological distress in NICU providers

    A Scoping Review of Psychological Distress Outcomes in NICU Healthcare Providers · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on work-related psychological distress responses in NICU healthcare providers. Prior studies have not examined multiple forms of psychological distress among NICU healthcare providers.

    A Scoping Review of Psychological Distress Outcomes in NICU Healthcare Providers · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that identifying early predictors of late childhood behavioural outcomes in very preterm children is a complex task. The study highlights the need to account for the multi-dimensional nature of behavioural outcomes. The study notes that the use of longitudinal data and multiple assessments can be challenging, but provides a robust basis for understanding the predictors of behavioural outcomes

    Early predictors of late childhood behavioural outcomes following very preterm birth · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a need to identify early predictors of late childhood behavioural outcomes in very preterm children. Prior work has focused on the risks of psychiatric diagnoses in very preterm children, but less is known about the early predictors of these outcomes

    Early predictors of late childhood behavioural outcomes following very preterm birth · 2025 · DOI

  • Preterm-born children are at increased risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. There is a need to find means to improve the developmental trajectories of preterm infants.

    Music and reading activities in early childhood associated with improved language development in preterm infants at 2–3 years of age · 2024 · DOI

  • There is a lack of studies assessing the potential benefits of music and language activities in preterm-born children. Prior work has focused on the benefits of music and reading activities in general, but not specifically in preterm-born children.

    Music and reading activities in early childhood associated with improved language development in preterm infants at 2–3 years of age · 2024 · DOI

  • BackgroundLate preterm (LP) children (34 0/7 - 36 6/7 weeks of gestation) are at risk for neurocognitive challenges, yet the neuroanatomic and functional disruptions underlying these developmental differences remain poorly understood.

    Cortical surface area, thalamic nuclei volume, and associations with neurocognitive functioning in 6-13-year-old children born late preterm and full term · 2026 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND: Children born preterm (PT) face elevated neurodevelopmental risk, yet the role of fathers' sensitive caregiving in this process remains understudied.

    Associations Between Paternal Sensitivity and Cognitive and Behavioural Outcomes in Preterm Children: An Individual Participant Data Meta‐Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on standardizing outcomes, ensuring long-term follow-up, and applying implementation frameworks to develop scalable, context-specific care models.

    Developmental care for preterm infants: a scoping review of interventions, outcomes, and implementation contexts · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite growing interest in music therapy (MT) as a supportive intervention in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), strong evidence for its long-term efficacy remains scarce.

    Challenges and limitations of evaluating the efficacy of music intervention for preterm infants: auditory development, methodological heterogeneity, medical complexity, parental involvement and environmental barriers · 2026 · DOI

  • In Ukraine, its implementation is limited, and evidence on its association with clinical outcomes in routine neonatal practice is lacking.

    Implementation of developmental care in routine NICU practice and early clinical outcomes in preterm infants · 2026 · DOI

  • There is scarce literature from the ground-level perception of therapists on providing structured development care, especially in resource-limited NICU settings.

    Practice-informed barriers and contextual solutions in neonatal habilitation across Indian Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A qualitative exploration of therapists’ perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • OBJECTIVES: Falls are a leading cause of non-fatal injury in young children, but limited research has explored the characteristics and risks associated with diaper change-related falls.

    Traumatic brain injury from diaper change-related falls in children younger than 3 years: an evaluation of South Korean national emergency department registry data · 2026 · DOI

  • While caution is warranted when generalizing these lab-based findings to naturalistic settings, findings provide insight into objective measures of PA for this age range.

    The Performance of Ankle‐ and Waist‐Based Accelerometry in Quantifying Physical Activity Intensity Among 6‐ to 24‐Month‐Year‐Olds: A Semistructured Laboratory Study · 2025 · DOI

  • However, little is known about how these factors interact to shape paternal perceptions of care and unmet support needs across different domains.

    Impact of Premature Birth and Delayed Cuddling on Maternal Support Needs and Satisfaction With Postnatal Care and Changes in Support Over Time · 2025 · DOI

  • Previously it has been shown that synergy is crucial for many complex brain functions and cognition, however, it remains unknown how and when the large number of discrete neurons evolve into the unified system able to support synergistic interactions.

    Emergence of a synergistic scaffold in the brains of human infants · 2025 · DOI

  • Skin-to-skin care has known benefits for physiologic regulation and bonding in preterm infants, but impacts on early brain structure remain unclear.

    Skin-to-Skin Holding in Relation to White Matter Microstructure in Infants Born Preterm · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research is required to better understand the educational methods best suited to train perinatal professionals to incorporate these, and other trauma-informed care principles, within their communication and interactions with future parents.

    Parent and perinatal professional priorities and perspectives for the pre-birth periviable conversation: a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews · 2025 · DOI

  • The impacts of participant engagement patterns with prenatal care on preterm birth (PTB) are not clearly understood.

    Optimal group and individual prenatal care visit patterns and preterm birth · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research is warranted to employ longitudinal neurodevelopmental monitoring in affected infants.

    Mediating role of preterm birth in the relationship between maternal disease and infant development · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the mediating role of preterm birth has not been well explored in relation to maternal diseases.

    Mediating role of preterm birth in the relationship between maternal disease and infant development · 2025 · DOI

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458 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 3,037 Infant Development and Preterm Care papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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