Vocalização Materna no Contexto da Prematuridade e UTI Neonatal: Uma Revisão Narrativa

he aim of this study was to examine empirical evidence published between 2015 and 2020, involving maternal vocalization and premature babies in the context of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Damiani, N. B., Piccinini, C. A.2Cadernos de Psicologia, Ribeirão Preto, vol. 1, nº 1, p. 1-21 - Abril/2022This is a narrative review of the literature found in PsycINFO, PubMed, LILACS, MEDLINE and CINAHL. Seventeen studies were included and analyzed according to the following categories: aims, participants, design, procedures and interventions, instruments and main results. It was observed that the vast majority of studies focuses on the diff erential impact of the mother’s voice, both speaking and singing, on the baby and uses an experimental or quasi-experimental design. The results reveal reduction in heart rate, increase in oxygen saturation, reduction in pain indicators and increased alertness in babies. Furthermore, babies exposed to the intervention using their mother’s voice in the NICU context had a signifi cant increase in auditory cortex thickness, and developed language skills compared to those exposed only to routine care. Studies investigating the characteristics of the maternal voice have reported an increase in tone and volume in the presence of a smile and the opening of the baby’s eyes, and greater emotional stability in mothers who used their voices. In general, the studies yield positive yet heterogeneous results concerning the maternal voice’s impact in this contex