COVID-19 restrictions and psychological well-being of fathers with infants admitted to NICU-An exploratory cross-sectional study

Parents' Participation in Care during Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Stay in COVID-19 Era: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Parents play a crucial role in the care of infants during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Recent studies have reported a decrease in parental participation due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which has led to restricted access policies in hospitals. The aim of this study was to describe the barriers to good parental participation during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit in the COVID-19 era.

METHODS

This was a quantitative, observational study.

RESULTS

A total of 270 parents participated in this study. Mothers' participation in care was higher than that of fathers (p = 0.017). Parents who lived at the birth of their first child reported a better level of participation in care compared to those who lived at the birth of their second-born (p = 0.005). Parents of extremely preterm neonates reported a lower interaction with their infants than parents of term newborns (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Some disadvantaged categories reported lower scores for cultural and linguistic minorities, parents of multiple children, and fathers. The COVID-19 pandemic has made several family-centred care activities impossible, with a higher impact on those who benefited most of these facilities. This study was prospectively approved by the IRB-CRRM of the University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara on 23 January 2024 (approval number CRRM: 2023_12_07_01).

Becoming a first-time father during the COVID-19 pandemic in France

The role of fathers in Western societies has undergone significant change over time. However, their psychopathology remains largely misunderstood and difficult to identify. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of first-time fathers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-seven first-time French fathers were recruited for the study, which involved a narrative interview, the Rorschach projective test, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and a semi-structured interview. Narrative interviews revealed several challenges faced by these fathers, including the pressure of paternal responsibility, the need to be actively involved in the prenatal activities and caregiving (haptonomy, skin-to-skin contact), and concerns about the future of their couple and family as a triad. The Rorschach tests showed numerous perinatal responses and difficulties in identifying phallic representations among the fathers. Additionally, the EPDS scores indicated that 15% of fathers showed signs of depression, while 52% exhibited signs of anxiety. This study also examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated health context on creating the initial triad. Lastly, the case of one father is presented to illustrate the need for diagnostic tools to address the psychopathology of fathers, as narrative or semi-structured interviews have often fallen short of addressing this issue.

Preterm toddlers' joint attention characteristics during dyadic interactions with their mothers and fathers compared to full-term toddlers at age 2 years

The current study investigates Joint Attention (JA) characteristics (duration, frequency, source of initiation, type of JA, agent of termination, missed and unsuccessful episodes) in preterm and full-term toddlers' interactions with their mothers and fathers, separately. Thirty-one singleton full-term (Mage = 24.07 months, SD = 1.45; 13 boys) and 17 singleton preterm toddlers (Madjustedage = 24.72 months, SD = 3.39; 12 boys) participated in the study with both parents. JA episodes were examined during dyadic five-minute free play sessions, were coded second-by-second, and were analysed using two-way mixed ANOVAs. Although the total amount of time spent in JA was not significantly different between the preterm and the full-term groups, JA episodes were more frequent, specifically supported JA episodes, and were more often terminated by the child during parent-preterm toddler interactions. Moreover, preterm toddlers missed their fathers' attempts for JA more often than their mothers' and more often than full-term toddlers missed their fathers' and mothers' bids for JA. Further, regardless of the birth status, toddlers initiated more JA with mothers than fathers, and fathers redirected their child's attention to initiate JA more than mothers. Findings indicate that preterm toddlers may struggle to respond to JA bids, especially with their fathers, and to sustain their attention on a specific object or event during interactions. Preterm toddlers may need more support to engage in JA relative to their full-term peers, and redirecting attention strategy may not be optimal for them. Also, toddlers' JA interactions may be different with their mothers and fathers. Findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating preterm toddlers' JA characteristics with both parents compared to full-term toddlers at age two.