Stress among parents of infants with neural tube defect and its associated factors

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Updated: May 12, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
06:39

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

Published on: June 13, 2021

Nemeh Ahmad Al-Akour1, Yusef Saleh Khader, Adlah Hamlan

  • 1Maternal and Child Health Department, School of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Irbid, Jordan. alakour@just.edu.jo

International Journal of Nursing Practice
|April 13, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Parents of infants with neural tube defects (NTDs) experience significantly higher stress levels. Factors like lower education and income increase parental distress, highlighting the need for professional support.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Neural tube defects (NTDs) are major congenital anomalies with significant impact on families.
  • Parental stress is a critical factor in the well-being of children with chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate stress levels in parents of infants diagnosed with neural tube defects (NTDs).
  • To identify factors associated with increased parental stress in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Employed the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) for stress assessment.
  • Compared 100 parents of infants with NTDs against 100 parents in a normative group.
  • Utilized multivariate analysis to determine associated factors.

Main Results:

  • Parents of infants with NTDs reported significantly higher total stress scores (104.0 vs. 84.3).
  • Over 53% of parents with infants with NTDs exhibited clinically significant high stress.
  • Mothers reported higher distress than fathers; lower education, unemployment, and income were linked to increased distress.

Conclusions:

  • Infants with NTDs place a substantial stress burden on parents, affecting multiple domains of parenting.
  • Lower socioeconomic status and maternal gender are significant risk factors for parental stress.
  • Healthcare professionals should provide targeted psychological and emotional support to vulnerable families.

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