Neuropsychological Stimulation Program for Children from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Metadatos
Afficher la notice complèteAuteur
Rodríguez Prieto, Pablo; Simpson, Ian Craig; Gomez Baya, Diego; García de la Cadena, Claudia; Ruiz Aranda, Desirée; Ibáñez Alfonso, Joaquín A.Editorial
MDPI
Materia
Neuropsychology Childhood development Vulnerability
Date
2024-03-06Referencia bibliográfica
Rodríguez-Prieto, P.; Simpson, I.C.; Gomez-Baya, D.; García de la Cadena, C.; Ruiz-Aranda, D.; Ibáñez-Alfonso, J.A. Neuropsychological Stimulation Program for Children from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Healthcare 2024, 12, 596. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12050596
Patrocinador
Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AACID, in Spanish) from the Junta de Andalucía Government, Spain, under the project “Mejora del rendimiento académico y la calidad de vida de menores vulnerables de Guatemala: programa integral de estimulación cognitiva y emocional, desarrollo de huertos escolares y fortalecimiento de la docencia a distancia ante el reto del COVID-19” [Improvement of the academic performance and quality of life in vulnerable minors from Guatemala: Integral cognitive and emotional stimulation program, development of school orchards, and strengthening of distance teaching amidst the challenge of COVID-19], grant number 0C138/2020; Grant from FEDER Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades/Project E-SEJ-754-UGR20Résumé
Background: Guatemala remains one of the poorest countries in Central America and suffers
from high rates of social inequality and violence. In addition to the negative impact that two years
without attending school has had on Guatemalan children due to the consequences of the COVID-19
pandemic, this unfavourable socioeconomic context poses a risk to children’s emotional and cognitive
development. This work presents a protocol for implementing a cognitive and emotional stimulation
program aimed at increasing the academic performance of these children and consequently improving
their quality of life. Methods: The protocol proposes the implementation of a randomized controlled
trial to assess the efficacy of a 24-session-long stimulation program. It targets the cognitive functions
of attention, language, executive functions, and social cognition, using the digital neurorehabilitation
platform NeuronUP. The participants (n = 480) will be randomly assigned to an Experimental or
Control group. Pre- and post-intervention assessments will be carried out, together with a follow-up
in the next academic year, in which both groups will change roles. Results will be compared for
the first and second years, looking for differences in academic and cognitive performance between
groups. Discussion: Mid- and long-term outcomes are still unknown, but effective interventions
based on this protocol are expected to facilitate the following benefits for participants: (1) improved
cognitive and emotional development; (2) improved academic performance; (3) improved well-being.
We expect to create a validated neuropsychological stimulation program that could be applied in
similar socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts around the world to help these children improve
their life chances.