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Sandnes R, Le Floch M, Riquin E, Nocus I, Müller JB, Bacro F. Parental stress and mental health outcomes following very preterm birth: A systematic review of recent findings. J Affect Disord 2024; 355:513-525. [PMID: 38556094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, there has been a wide array of research studies published on parental mental health and stress following very preterm birth. This review aims at reviewing the prevalence and risk factors of long-term parental depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms and parenting stress following very preterm birth. METHODS We searched PubMed, PsychINFO and Web of Science for descriptive, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies published between January 2013 and August 2022. RESULTS 45 studies met our inclusion criteria. In the first two years, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms and parenting stress were present in ∼20 % of mothers of extreme and very low birth weight (E/VLBW) infants. Long-term psychological distress symptoms could be observed, although few studies have focused on symptoms into school age and longer. Fathers of VLBW infants might experience more psychological distress as well, however, they were only included in ten studies. We found that parental distress is more common when the co-parent is struggling with mental health symptoms. Many risk factors were identified such as social risk, history of mental illness, interpersonal factors (i.e. social support) and child-related factors (i.e. intraventricular hemorrhage, disability, use of medical equipment at home). LIMITATIONS Several studies have methodological issues, such as a lack of control of known confounders and there is a large variety of measures employed. CONCLUSION Important risk factors for stress and mental health symptoms were identified. More evidence is needed to determine if long-term symptoms persist into school age. Research should focus on taking a family-based approach in order to identify preventive strategies and resilience factors in parents of VLBW infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Sandnes
- Faculty of Psychology, Centre de Recherche en Education de Nantes (CREN - UR 2661), Nantes University, Nantes, France.
| | - Marine Le Floch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital of Angers, France
| | - Elise Riquin
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital of Angers, France; Univ Angers, [CHU Angers], LPPL EA4638, F-49000 Angers, France; Fondation de Santé des Étudiants de France, clinique de Sablé sur Sarthe, Sablé sur Sarthe, France
| | - Isabelle Nocus
- Faculty of Psychology, Centre de Recherche en Education de Nantes (CREN - UR 2661), Nantes University, Nantes, France
| | - Jean Baptiste Müller
- Loire Infant Follow-Up Team (LIFT) Network, Pays de Loire, France; Department of Neonatal Medicine, Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
| | - Fabien Bacro
- Faculty of Psychology, Centre de Recherche en Education de Nantes (CREN - UR 2661), Nantes University, Nantes, France
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Schneider J, Harari MM, Faure N, Lacroix A, Borghini A, Tolsa JF, Horsch A. Joint observation in NICU (JOIN): A randomized controlled trial testing an early, one-session intervention during preterm care to improve perceived maternal self-efficacy and other mental health outcomes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301594. [PMID: 38662661 PMCID: PMC11045081 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parents of preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) environment may experience psychological distress, decreased perceived self-efficacy, and/or difficulties in establishing an adaptive parent-infant relationship. Early developmental care interventions to support the parental role and infant development are essential and their impact can be assessed by an improvement of parental self-efficacy perception. The aims were to assess the effects of an early intervention provided in the NICU (the Joint Observation) on maternal perceived self-efficacy compared to controls (primary outcome) and to compare maternal mental health measures (perceived stress, anxiety, and depression), perception of the parent-infant relationship, and maternal responsiveness (secondary outcomes). METHODS This study was a monocentric randomized controlled trial registered in clinicatrials.gov (NCT02736136), which aimed at testing a behavioural intervention compared with treatment-as-usual. Mothers of preterm neonates born 28 to 32 6/7 weeks gestation were randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control groups. Outcome measures consisted of self-report questionnaires completed by the mothers at 1 and 6 months after enrollment and assessing perceived self-efficacy, mental health, perception of the parent-infant relationship and responsiveness, as well as satisfaction with the intervention. RESULTS No statistically significant group effects were observed for perceived maternal self-efficacy or the secondary outcomes. Over time, perceived maternal self-efficacy increased for mothers in both groups, while anxiety and depression symptoms decreased. High satisfaction with the intervention was reported. CONCLUSIONS The joint observation was not associated with improved perceived maternal self-efficacy or other mental health outcomes, but may constitute an additional supportive measure offered to parents in a vulnerable situation during the NICU stay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Schneider
- Department of Woman-Mother-Child, Clinic of Neonatology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense, Innovation, and Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mathilde Morisod Harari
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Noémie Faure
- Centre Sages-Femmes, Vevey, Switzerland
- UniVers Famille, Châtel-St-Denis, Switzerland
| | - Alain Lacroix
- Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Jean-François Tolsa
- Department of Woman-Mother-Child, Clinic of Neonatology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antje Horsch
- Department of Woman-Mother-Child, Clinic of Neonatology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Padilla-Muñoz EM, Barbancho-Morant MM, Lanzarote-Fernández MD, Sanduvete-Chaves S, Chacón-Moscoso S. Psycho-emotional intervention with parents of very preterm babies during the first year: A single-arm pilot study. FAMILY PROCESS 2024. [PMID: 38659149 DOI: 10.1111/famp.13002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Studies of intervention programs that aim to improve the emotional state of parents of children admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) are scarce in Spain. The aims of this single-arm pilot study are to get to know the emotional profile of parents of high-risk preterm newborns, and to explore parents' patterns of emotional well-being before and after a psychological program called the Parental Empowerment Program, to increase parental readiness levels. The sample was made up of 100 parents (50 couples) who participated in the program. Measurements were taken of post-traumatic stress, depression, and resilience at 1 month and 12 months. Repeated measurements and dyadic data analyses were performed. One month after the birth of the baby and prior to the start of the program, mothers show more symptoms of stress and depression than fathers. After the intervention, both parents experienced improvements in their mood levels. The evidence obtained seems to show that high resilience levels and low post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with reduced depression levels after implementing the program. However, the heterogeneity of the responses obtained, the observed associations between stress, resilience, and maternal depression, along with the reciprocal influence between maternal and paternal depression 1 year after the intervention, highlight the need for a more in-depth exploration of the interplay between risk and protective factors in this population. Despite the identified potential threats to validity, further work in this direction is recommended, including the implementation of clinical trials to demonstrate intervention efficacy. The adaptation of the parents' mutual emotional adjustment at each stage would allow them to participate more actively in the baby's care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Salvador Chacón-Moscoso
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
- Departamento de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Zhao Y, Liu Y, Gao X, Wang D, Wang N, Xie R, Tong X, He Y, Yang L. Early biomarkers of neurodevelopmental disorders in preterm infants: protocol for a longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e070230. [PMID: 37295829 PMCID: PMC10277126 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Preterm (PT) infants are at high likelihood for poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), which could considerably impair the individuals' functions throughout their whole life. The current cohort study aims to investigate adverse outcomes, especially NDDs, in PT children, and the related early aberrant brain developmental biomarkers. METHODS AND ANALYSIS This is a prospective cohort study in Beijing, China. We plan to recruit 400 PT infants born at <37 weeks of gestational age (GA), and 200 full-term (FT) controls during the neonatal period (40 weeks corrected GA), then follow them up until they reach 6 years of age. This cohort is designed to assess neuropsychological functions, brain development, related environmental risk factors and the incidence of NDDs by using the following measures: (1) social, emotional, cognitive and sensorimotor functions; (2) MRI, electroencephalogram and functional near-infrared spectroscopy; (3) social economic status, maternal mental health and DNA methylation; and (4) symptoms and diagnosis of NDDs. Main data analyses will include comparing the neurodevelopment outcomes and brain developmental trajectories between PT and FT children using linear or logistic regressions and mixed-effects models. Regression analyses and machine learning will be used to identify early biological predictors and environmental risk or protective factors for later NDDs outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethical approval has been obtained from the research ethics committee of Peking University Third Hospital (M2021087). This study is under review in the Chinese Clinical Trial Register. The study results from the current cohort will be disseminated and popularised through social media to participating parents, as well as parents who are giving care to PT children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilu Zhao
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yunfeng Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xuping Gao
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Wang
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Rao Xie
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Xiaomei Tong
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yong He
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and International Digital Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Yang
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
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Prevalence of and factors associated with postnatal depression and anxiety among parents of preterm infants: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord 2023; 322:235-248. [PMID: 36400151 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with postpartum depression and anxiety among mothers and fathers of preterm infants and to examine the relationships between maternal and paternal symptoms. METHODS Six electronic databases were searched to identify eligible studies reporting parental depression and anxiety within 1 year postpartum. Data were extracted for a random-effects meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted to analyze associations between study characteristics and prevalence estimates. RESULTS In total, 79 studies were included. The meta-analysis of studies on mothers generated estimates of prevalence for depression (29.2 %, 95 % CI, 21.8 %-37.9 %) and anxiety (37.7 %, 95 % CI, 24.1 %-53.6 %). The meta-analysis of fathers indicated a pooled depression prevalence of 17.4 % (95 % CI, 12.5 %-23.8 %) and an anxiety estimate of 18.3 % (95 % CI, 8.1 %-36.3 %). Assessment time points and methods as well as the geographic continent in which the study was conducted were significant moderators of depression and anxiety. Significant inter-correlations were found between mothers' and fathers' depression and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.05). LIMITATIONS Limited data from specific geographic continents, including Africa and Asia. CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of depression and anxiety among preterm infants' parents was high, highlighting the need for early psychological screening and assessment. Further research is required to improve services that focus on parents' postpartum psychological needs in the family context.
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Depressive Symptoms in Fathers during the First Postpartum Year: The Influence of Severity of Preterm Birth, Parenting Stress and Partners’ Depression. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19159478. [PMID: 35954832 PMCID: PMC9368501 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19159478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although preterm birth constitutes a risk factor for postpartum depressive symptomatology, perinatal depression (PND) has not been investigated extensively in fathers of very low (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. This study explored paternal depression levels at 3, 9, and 12 months of infant corrected age, investigating also the predictive role played by the severity of prematurity, maternal and paternal PND levels, and parenting stress. We recruited 153 fathers of 33 ELBW, 42 VLBW, and 78 full-term (FT) infants, respectively. Depression was investigated by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and distress by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form-PSI-SF (Total and subscales: Parental Distress, Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction, and Difficult Child). ELBW fathers showed a significant decrease (improvement) in EPDS, total PSI-SF, and Parental Distress mean scores after 3 months. Paternal EPDS scores at 12 months were significantly predicted by VLBW and FT infants’ birth weight categories, fathers’ EPDS scores at 3 and 9 months, Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale at 3 months, and Difficult Child subscale at 9 months. This study strengthens the relevance of including early routine screening and parenting support for fathers in perinatal health services, with particular attention to fathers who might be more vulnerable to mental health difficulties due to severely preterm birth.
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