Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Parenting Self-Efficacy Moderates the Association Between Unmet Parenting Expectations and NICU-Related PTSD Symptoms
Sarah M Rodrigues1, Sanghyuk Shin1, Melissa D Pinto1
1Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Abstract:
Infant neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization increases maternal risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which may negatively impact mother-child attachment and infant growth and development. Prior studies have documented positive associations between unmet parenting expectations and adverse maternal psychological outcomes, including post-NICU discharge. However, no studies have yet explored how unmet parenting expectations may be associated with maternal NICU-related PTSD symptoms. The current paper reports a focused analysis of cross-sectional questionnaire data collected from NICU mothers (n = 128) during a larger mixed methods study. Multiple linear regression was used to test the association between parenting expectation-experience differences (EEDs) and NICU-related PTSD symptoms reported by mothers 1-5 years post-infant NICU hospitalization. The moderating role of parenting self-efficacy was also examined. After adjusting for covariates in the main effects model, a negative association was found between EED scores and NICU-related PTSD symptoms (B = -1.5, p 0.001), and perceived parenting self-efficacy was found to moderate (weaken) this negative association. Findings suggest that interventions and NICU care practices aimed at better aligning parenting expectations and NICU experiences and at promoting parenting self-efficacy among NICU mothers may strengthen delivery of supportive, family-centered care and may lead to improved maternal and child outcomes in this population.
More Related Videos
07:56Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
06:39Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Parental Care
Self-Discrepancy Theory