Stress and Coping Strategies among Parents of Neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-sectional Study

The admission of a newborn to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a highly emotional and challenging experience for parents, often leading to significant stress, delayed parent-infant bonding, and emotional strain.

A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary hospital to assess stress levels and coping strategies among 130 parents of neonates admitted to the NICU for more than 2 days. An enumerative sampling technique was used to select participants. Stress was assessed using a three-point Likert scale (25 items) and coping strategies were assessed using a similar three-point Likert scale (30 items). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews.

The study found that 53.1% of parents reported mild stress, 35.4% experienced moderate stress and 11.5% reported severe stress, with an overall mean stress score of 18.85 ± 8.25. The emotional and socioeconomic domains had the highest stress scores. Regarding coping strategies, 71.5% used partially adaptive strategies, 16.9% used adaptive strategies and 11.5% used maladaptive strategies, with an overall mean score of 28.40 ± 2.5. A significant positive correlation ( r = 0.811, P = 0.001) was found between stress and coping scores. Parental occupation was significantly associated with stress levels and religion was significantly associated with coping strategies at the 0.05 level.

The study highlights the stress experienced by NICU parents, with emotional and socioeconomic stressors being most prominent. Emotional and spiritual coping strategies were most common, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions by healthcare professionals.