Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 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
Advances in family-based interventions in the neonatal ICU
Martha G Welch1, Michael M Myers
1aDepartment of Psychiatry bDepartment of Pediatrics cDepartment of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons dDepartment of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City, New York, USA.
Insights
Recent interventions in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) effectively reduce parental stress. The Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) shows promise for improving maternal and infant outcomes, highlighting the importance of nonmedical approaches for preterm infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Perinatology
- Developmental psychology
Background:
- Preterm infants face significant risks despite medical advancements.
- Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are crucial for managing high-risk newborns.
- Parental well-being is increasingly recognized as vital for infant outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) interventions.
- To evaluate a novel nurture-based approach, the Family Nurture Intervention (FNI).
- To assess the impact of family-centered interventions on preterm infants and their parents.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent trials on family-related interventions in NICUs.
- Analysis of studies focusing on parental guidance, stress reduction, and infant interaction.
- Examination of the Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) methodology and outcomes.
Main Results:
- Family-centered interventions reduce parental stress, maternal anxiety, and depression.
- The Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) decreases maternal anxiety and depression while increasing maternal sensitivity.
- FNI demonstrates positive short- and long-term effects on infant neurobehavioral outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Parent-based NICU interventions effectively reduce stress in parents of preterm infants.
- The Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) offers significant benefits for both mothers and infants and is potentially cost-effective.
- Nonmedical interventions are crucial for reducing long-term morbidity in preterm infants, necessitating further research and development.
Purpose Of Review:
Despite advances in medical care, preterm infants remain at risk for many adverse outcomes. This article reviews findings from several recent neonatal ICU (NICU) interventions and a trial of a novel nurture-based approach, Family Nurture Intervention (FNI).
Recent Findings:
Recent trials reviewed here find positive effects of a variety of family-related interventions focused on parental guidance. These interventions target prescribed physical activities with infants, parents' stress, and the parents' ability to recognize their positive and negative behaviors with their infants. Beneficial effects include reductions in parenting stress, maternal anxiety, and depression. A different approach, FNI, is aimed at establishing mother-infant emotional connection. As in other trials, FNI also decreased maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression, and increased maternal sensitivity. Additionally, FNI led to positive short and long-term effects on infant neurobehavioral outcomes at term and 18 months.
Summary:
A number of recent parent-based NICU interventions have been effective at reducing preterm parent stress. Another, FNI, has positive effects on both maternal and infant outcomes and promises to be cost-effective. Future decreases in long-term morbidity in preterm infants will increasingly rely on nonmedical interventions. Therefore, the rigorous development and testing of such interventions should be a high priority in perinatology research.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Nursing Interventions II: Selecting and Classifying the Nursing Interventions
01:30Family Therapy
Strategic Family Therapy
Strategic family therapy emphasizes resolving communication barriers and improving problem-solving abilities...
01:30Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
01:03Nursing Interventions I: Taxonomy of Nursing Interventions
A nursing intervention is a treatment or action based on scientific concepts and knowledge from the nursing, behavioral, and physical sciences. Identifying and prioritizing nursing interventions based on the desired outcome...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...
01:21Intrauterine Drug Delivery Systems