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Systematic review of qualitative studies exploring parental experiences in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Dua'a Fayiz Al Maghaireh1, Khatijah Lim Abdullah2, Chong Mei Chan2
1Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. dfm_2013@yahoo.com.
Insights
Parental experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are stressful due to hospitalization, altered parenting roles, and psychological impacts. Thematic analysis is a feasible method for synthesizing these qualitative findings.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Psychosocial health
- Qualitative research synthesis
Background:
- Infant admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is often unexpected, leading to parental psychosocial difficulties.
- Qualitative systematic reviews are effective for exploring parental experiences during NICU admissions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and utility of thematic analysis for synthesizing qualitative data on parental experiences in the NICU.
- To identify common themes in parental experiences within the NICU setting.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of qualitative studies from peer-reviewed journals was conducted.
- Studies were identified across six electronic databases.
- Thematic analysis was employed to synthesize findings from nine included studies, following quality appraisal using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme.
Main Results:
- Nine qualitative studies were included in the review.
- Common themes identified included the stress of hospitalization, changes in parenting roles, and the psychological impact of infant hospitalization.
- Methodologies varied, with common approaches including semistructured interviews and interviews.
Conclusions:
- Infant hospitalization in the NICU presents a significant stressor for parents, stemming from the infant's condition, altered parenting roles, and the NICU environment.
- Parents experience negative psychological effects, disrupted parent-infant attachment, and parental role alteration.
- Findings can inform NICU nurses in developing interventions to reduce parental stress and support coping mechanisms.
Aims And Objectives:
To determine the feasibility and utility of a thematic analysis approach to synthesising qualitative evidence about parental experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Background:
Admission of infants to the neonatal intensive care unit is usually an unexpected event for parents who can cause them to experience psychosocial difficulties. A qualitative systematic review is the best method for exploring these parents' experiences regarding this type of admission.
Design:
Systematic review.
Methods:
Qualitative studies in peer-reviewed journals aimed at understanding parental experiences regarding infant neonatal intensive care unit admission were identified in six electronic databases. Three reviewers selected relevant articles and assessed the quality of the methodological studies using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify the most common themes in the studies describing parental experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Results:
A total of eighty articles were identified; nine studies were included in this review. Four studies used semistructured interviews, three used interviews, one used self-reporting and one used both focus group and interview methodologies. Common themes across parents' experiences were the stress of hospitalisation, alteration in parenting roles and the impact of infant hospitalisation on psychological health.
Conclusion:
Having an infant hospitalised in the neonatal intensive care unit is a stressful experience for parents. This experience is the result of exposure to different stressors related to the infant's condition, an alteration in parenting roles or the neonatal intensive care unit environment and staffing. These parents suffered negative psychological effects, experienced an interrupted development of a healthy parent-infant attachment and/or felt parental role alteration.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
The study's findings are crucial for neonatal intensive care unit nurses to develop intervention strategies and programmes that help parents to decrease the stress of their experience and to support them in facing this stressful situation.
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