Collaborative development of a scoping review protocol to map instruments assessing the parent–infant relationship: An International Initiative from COST Action TREASURE
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Early relational health during the first 24 months of life is a key determinant of child development and wellbeing. The parent–infant relationship plays a central role in emotional regulation, bonding, and developmental trajectories. However, existing assessment tools differ widely in their scope and characteristics, and no comprehensive review has yet mapped the instruments available to assess this relationship in early infancy. In response to this gap, a transdisciplinary working group within the COST Action CA22114 – TREASURE collaboratively developed a scoping review protocol to systematically map instruments assessing the parent–infant relationship from birth to 24 months of age. This Brief Report outlines the collaborative methodological process used to construct the protocol. Development followed an iterative, consensus-driven approach involving multidisciplinary experts from multiple COST member countries. Through structured online meetings, the group clarified core constructs and established the age range using the Population–Concept–Context (PCC) framework. The JBI methodology for scoping reviews was adopted and aligned with PRISMA-ScR standards to ensure transparency and reproducibility. Progressive drafting, internal peer review, and iterative refinement led to the final protocol, which was registered on the Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/HRVX9 ). The resulting protocol provides a replicable methodological framework for mapping instruments that assess the parent–infant relationship. This Brief Report presents a framework for collaborative protocol development in international research networks, promoting shared knowledge generation in early relational health research and offering potential applicability to other COST initiatives.
Source: Open Research Europe
Authors: Sónia Brandão, Anat Talmon, Ewa Gieysztor, Patrícia Souto, Andreia Soares Goncalves, Rosa Silva, Patrícia Gonçalves, Paula Prata, Özlem Şensoy, Esra Ardahan Akgül, Semra Pinar, Kristiina Uriko, Seda Ardahan Sevgili, Elif Bulut, Rajesh Shigdel, Demet Gülaldı, Otília Freitas, Aycin Ezgi Onel, Pelin Dikmen-Yildiz, Carmen Power, Alena Lochmannová, Dora d'Orsi, Özlem Koç, Tuğçe Sönmez, Tânia Brandão, Diana Azevedo, Lence Miloseva, Edanur Tar Bolacali, Bahar Aksoy, Mirlinda Markaj, Gilberta Sousa, Burcu Kömürcü Akik, Nicola Carone, Pinar Gencpinar, Ayça Demir Yıldırım, Hazal Özdemir Koyu, Wilson Abreu, Tuğba Yılmaz Esencan, Margarida Reis Santos, Mario Santos, Remziye Can, Anna-Lena Zietlow, Rafael Caparros-Gonzalez
Institutions: Universidade do Porto, Wroclaw Medical University, Universidade Politécnica de Viana do Castelo, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul University, Izmir Kâtip Çelebi University, University of Leeds, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Tallinn University, Ege University, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Üniversitesi, University of Bergen, Üsküdar University, Universidade da Madeira, Kırklareli University, Charles University, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, William James Center for Research, Tarsus University, Laboratório Associado ICVS 3B's, Goce Delcev University, Ahi Evran University, Akdeniz University, Comenius University Bratislava, Ankara University, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Gazi University, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Universidade Politécnica de Portalegre, Technische Universität Dresden, Universidad de Granada, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada
Language: English
Subfield: Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $841
Award: G8415081486
OpenAlex ID: W4417493698