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Stress, Anxiety, and Postpartum Depression in Parents with Premature Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Ayşegül Kılıçlı1, Gülben Saraçoğlu2, Ayşin Çetinkaya Büyükbodur3

  • 1Department of Nursing, Muş Alparslan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Muş, Turkey.

Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing
|July 5, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Parents of premature infants in neonatal intensive care units experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression. Maternal stress significantly predicts depression, while paternal stress predicts anxiety.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) care
  • Parental mental health
  • Perinatal psychology

Background:

  • Premature infants in the NICU present unique challenges for parents.
  • Parental mental health is crucial for infant well-being and development.
  • Understanding the psychological impact on parents is essential for targeted support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression in parents with premature infants.
  • To compare the mental health burden between mothers and fathers.
  • To identify correlations and predictive relationships between stress, anxiety, and depression.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary level NICU.
  • Involved 120 premature infants and their parents (120 mothers, 120 fathers).
  • Utilized validated instruments: Parental Stress Scale: NICU, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale.

Main Results:

  • High rates of stress, anxiety, and depression were observed in parents.
  • Mothers reported significantly higher mean scores for stress, anxiety, and depression than fathers.
  • Positive correlations were found between stress, anxiety, and depression; maternal stress predicted depression (5%), and paternal stress predicted anxiety (30%).

Conclusions:

  • Parents of premature infants exhibit elevated psychological distress.
  • Maternal stress is a significant predictor of postpartum depression.
  • Paternal stress is a significant predictor of anxiety, highlighting gender-specific impacts.
Abstract

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