Investigating the Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on Maternal-Infant Attachment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

Background: Maternal-infant attachment is the first social relationship between mother and baby that keeps the baby close to the mother. The conflicting results of the studies regarding the effect of kangaroo mother care (KMC) on maternal-infant attachment show the necessity of conducting a meta-analysis study. Objective: The study aimed to investigate the effects of KMC on mother-infant attachment through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, ProQuest, SID, and Iranmedex databases were searched to find clinical trial studies in English and Persian without a time limit. The Cochrane checklist was used to check the bias of the articles. Data analysis was performed using STATA. I2 index was used in order to assess the heterogeneity, and the funnel plot and the Egger test were used in order to examine the publication bias. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and random effects models were used to combine the studies and perform a meta-analysis. Results: In this study, 10 articles were selected for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The results of the present meta-analysis based on the random model showed SMD as -1.33 (95% CI: (-2.12, - 0.54), P = 0.001), and there was observed a statistically significant relationship between the control and intervention groups. So, the mother-infant attachment in the intervention group was higher than in the control group. Conclusion: This study showed that KMC improves mother-infant attachment. The results of this study can be applied to evidence-based decision-making by healthcare providers, and can also be suggested as a method to develop mother-infant attachment.