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Prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder in mothers of preterm infants using trauma-focused group therapy: Manual
Stephanie Simon1, Angelica Moreyra2, Emily Wharton1
1PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, Palo Alto University, 1791 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
Background:
Preterm birth has been associated with a number of adverse maternal psychological outcomes.
Aims:
The current study aims to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a trauma-focused group intervention that is designed to reduce maternal symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress in a sample of mothers of preterm infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Study Design:
The study was a one-group pre-/post quasi-experimental design. Participants received a 6-session intervention targeting parental trauma.
Subjects:
English-speaking mothers (N = 19) greater than 18 years of age of infants 23-34 weeks gestational age hospitalized in the NICU at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
Outcome Measures:
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II), Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS).
Results:
Results from the study indicate that the intervention is feasible, able to be implemented with a high degree of fidelity, is rated as highly satisfactory by participants, and leads to statistically significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress at 6-week and 6-month follow-ups.
Conclusions:
Though encouraging, these findings are preliminary, and future studies should strive to reproduce these findings with a larger sample size and a comparison group.