Efficacy of the support in medically-assisted procreation: an inter-institutional path

The study refers to a research project related to PhD course in “Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences”, Department of Psychological, Educational Sciences and Human Movement of the University of Palermo. In particular, this research focuses on one specific supportive care treatment direct to parents who are facing pregnancy at risk also of preterm birth, in a longitudinal perspective (from prenatal to neonatal). The study, which is currently in a start-up phase, will involve 100 couples recruited from a Medically Assisted Procreation Service which are at risk of preterm birth and/or which are living a diagnosis of foetal malformations or genetic syndromes. These conditions, once considered atypical conditions, are more common today, considering mother’s advanced age, massive hormone therapies and environmental factors. This research represents a discontinuity compared to the literature, because most studies analyze individual psychological variables such as anxiety, depression and infertility related-stress, but without any attention to the parental competence and repercussions on the child development.