Exploring Stress and Stress-Reduction With Caregivers and Clinicians in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Inform...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) care
• Parental mental health
• Intervention development

Background:

• Parents and caregivers of preterm infants in the NICU face high distress, anxiety, and depression.
• Existing interventions are primarily from Europe and North America, with limited research in Australasia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore sources of stress for caregivers and clinicians in a New Zealand NICU.
• To gather participant ideas for developing interventions to reduce caregiver stress.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative design using essentialist and realist methodology.
• Interviews conducted with 10 NICU clinicians and 13 caregivers of preterm infants.
• Explored stress and stress-reduction strategies within the NICU setting.

Main Results:

• Identified six themes related to caregiver stress and proposed solutions.
• Caregiver stress themes: emotional "rollercoaster," lack of cultural/emotional support, feeling excluded/confused.
• Proposed solutions: caregiver empowerment, improved emotional support, and digital communication.

Conclusions:

• Caregivers experience high stress in the NICU, necessitating targeted interventions.
• Key interventions should focus on empowerment, emotional/cultural support, and digital communication.
• Strong agreement between clinicians and caregivers on the need for accessible, digital information formats.