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Published on: September 19, 2019
Which support matters when? Relational functioning and posttraumatic stress in NICU parents.
Katherine A McDermott1,2, Courtney C Louis2,3, Elizabeth A Rochon3
1Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stays are traumatic for parents. Strong relationships, including couple satisfaction and social support, can significantly reduce parental posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Perinatology
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalizations are frequently traumatic for parents, with 30-40% experiencing posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms.
- Understanding protective relationships is crucial for mitigating trauma's impact on parents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively examine the association between relational functioning during NICU stays and parental PTS.
- To identify specific relationship factors that uniquely predict PTS at different time points.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 144 partnered parents of infants in the NICU.
- Validated measures of PTS and relational functioning (social support, family support, couple satisfaction, parent-staff interactions) were used.
- Hierarchical regressions analyzed the predictive unique contributions of support sources to PTS.
Main Results:
- General social support uniquely predicted lower PTS during the NICU stay (T1).
- Higher couple satisfaction uniquely predicted lower PTS at 1-month (T2) and 3-month (T3) follow-ups, along with higher education.
- Exploratory analysis showed general support reduced PTS in mothers but not fathers during the NICU stay.
Conclusions:
- Multidimensional social support and couple satisfaction may buffer NICU-related trauma and reduce parental PTS.
- Relational interventions focusing on social support and relationship quality could mitigate risks for parental PTSD.
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