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Updated: May 2, 2026

Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Very preterm birth: maternal experiences of the neonatal intensive care environment
L J Woodward1, S Bora2, C A C Clark3
11] Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA [2] Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Objective:
Examine sources, predictors and child outcomes associated with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)-related stress for mothers of infants born very preterm (VPT).
Study Design:
Participants were 133 mothers of VPT infants admitted to a regional level-III NICU. At term equivalent, mothers completed the Parental Stressor Scale: NICU and were interviewed about their psychological well-being and family circumstances. Infant clinical data were also collected. At corrected age 4 years, 49 children were assessed for cognition, language and socio-emotional development.
Result:
Mothers reported moderate to low stress, with parental role alteration considered most stressful and parent-staff communications least stressful. Predictors of overall stress included maternal educational underachievement, stressful life events, postnatal depression and infant unsettled-irregular behavior. NICU-related stress was associated with child anxiety and poorer language development.
Conclusion:
Parental well-being is an important focus of care in the neonatal setting. Strategies are needed to optimize early engagement and reduce stress levels to assist improved child outcomes.
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