The Bayley Social-Emotional Scale and the Assessment of Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review

Abstract The Bayley scale is one of the most widely used instruments for assessing infant development. This article aimed to systematically review the contribution of the Bayley social-emotional scale in the assessment of social-emotional development in preterm infants. This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. According to the inclusion criteria, 19 articles were selected from electronic databases. The results indicate reduced rates in evaluating the scale for children with lower gestational age, birth weight, and the association with environmental, biological, and hospital clinical factors. However, no analysis was found between the axes that guide the social-emotional development milestones present in the Bayley assessment and the developmental outcomes of preterm children. Bayley’s social-emotional scale and other assessment methods can jointly compose a detailed and sensitive protocol for preterm infants regarding early childhood emotional health care.