Promoting infant mental health in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): A review of nurturing factors and interventions for NICU infant-parent relationships.

Attachment in the parent-infant dyads is fundamental for growth and development of children born prematurely. However, the natural process of attachment is interrupted just after preterm birth, and emotional and physical detachment, limited social interaction, and a traumatic, technologically heavy environment in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may result in impaired attachment or bonding. To our knowledge, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing attachment, bonding, and relationships between parents and their preterm infants during the infant’s hospitalization in the NICU. This study aims to perform a comprehensive systematic review and a meta-analysis survey of the effects of attachment- and relationship-based interventions in the NICU. A comprehensive literature review will be conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE (OVID), Scopus, PsycINFO (OVID), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Web of Science. Selected studies will be published in English, in the last 20 years, from 1999 onwards. All studies of randomized controlled trials (e.g., parallel groups, cluster) will be included. We will consider studies evaluating attachment- and relationship-based interventions (e.g., skin-to-skin contact, parental involvement in infant care) versus a comparator (standard of care). The primary outcome will be maternal attachment. Secondary outcomes will include infants’ growth and development, family health, and parenting experience. Data extraction from eligible studies will be conducted independently by two experts who will compare their data. The Cochrane risk of bias tool will be applied to the selected studies. If data permits, we will conduct random effects meta-analysis where appropriate. Subgroup and additional analyses will be conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity considering gender of parents, infants’ sex, and gestational age. Data synthesis will be carried out using the RevMan 5.3 software. Publication bias will be assessed with the graphical funnel plot method and the Egger test. The quality of the evidence will be rated using the methods of the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group. The results of this systematic review will discuss the types of attachment- or relationship-based interventions that are effective for facilitating family health outcomes and the babies’ growth and development and will contribute to establishing new evidence in neonatal and family-centered care by providing scientific guidance for clinical practice and further research. PROSPERO CRD42019145834

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Attachment and relationship-based interventions for families during neonatal intensive care hospitalization: a study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: Preterm birth and admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can disrupt the parent-infant bonding relationship. Although neonatal nurses are in the best position to support matern...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17482631.2020.1831221

South Korean nurses' lived experiences supporting maternal postpartum bonding in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Aim To describe the transitional care experiences and nursing needs of caregivers of preterm infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Design A qualitative descriptive study. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with the 24 caregivers of preterm infants admitted to Children's Hospital, Soochow University. All data were collected by a trained and experienced interviewer. The caregivers' experiences were described using qualitative content analysis. Results Six Five themes emerged from the analysis: (a) uncertainty about the disease; (b) anxiety due to restricted visitation; (c) exhaustion from overwork; (d) emotional depression; (e) low care ability; (f) a variety of channels for help and a positive response. This study provides a basis for understanding the needs of their caregivers so that effective coping strategies can be implemented. Nurses' education and practice should focus on understanding the real experiences of the parents of preterm infants during transitional nursing.

Transitional care experiences of caregivers of preterm infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit: A qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Family Integrated Care (FICare) integrates parents in the direct care of their child while the healthcare personnel act as teachers and guides. To this date, most reports on the feasibility of this model refer to stable preterm infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Objectives: To scale up and adapt FICare to make it suitable in level IIIC NICUs, which care for extreme prematurity and other complex medical or surgical neonatal conditions. Materials and Methods: Step 1 was the creation of the FICare implementation team (FICare-IT) and baseline analysis of current procedures for critical care to identify needs, wishes, and requirements; we aimed for protocol elaboration tailored to our cultural, architectural, and clinical context (March 2017 to April 2018). Step 2 as a dissemination strategy by FICare-IT acting as primary trainers and mentors to ensure the education of 90% of nursing staff (May 2018 to July 2018). Step 3 involved piloting and evaluation with the aim to refine the procedure (July 2018 to December 2020). Results: A rigorous but flexible protocol was edited. The FICare educational manual included two curricula: for healthcare professionals/staff (Training the trainers) and for families (Education of caregivers), the latter being categorized in two intervention levels (basic and advanced), depending on the infant care needs and parent's decision. In total, 76 families and 91 infants (74.7% preterm; 18.7% complex surgery; 6.6% others) were enrolled in the pilot. No differences in acceptance rate (overall 86.4%) or in the number of infant-family dyads in the program per month were observed when considering the pre- and post-Covid-19 pandemic periods. All families, except for one who dropped out of the program, completed the agreed individualized training. Mothers spent more time in NICU than fathers (p < 0.05); uninterrupted time spent by mothers in NICU was longer during the pre-pandemic period (p < 0.01). Observed time to reach proficiency by task was within the expected time in 70% of the program contents. The parents revealed educational manuals, workshops, and cot-side teaching sessions as essential for their training, and 100% said they would accept entry into the FICare program again. Conclusions: The principles of the FICare model are suitable for all levels of care in NICUs. Leadership and continuous evaluation/refinement of implementation procedures are essential components to achieve the objectives.

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Scaling Up the Family Integrated Care Model in a Level IIIC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Approach to the Methods and Effort Taken for Implementation

Maternal attachment to promote role development in mothers of preterm infants is critical for babies’ optimal growth and development. However, few models specify how neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and their environments work to foster postpartum attachment (PPA) after preterm birth. We investigated relationships of quality of family-centered care and NICU environmental stressors with maternal PPA, to determine whether these are mediated by mothers’ psycho-emotional response and whether pathways to PPA are moderated by developmental immaturity (gestation, birthweight). A cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling was conducted on 294 mothers of premature infants with experience in NICUs in over 49 tertiary hospitals in 12 cities or provinces of South Korea. Data were collected using Korean versions of instruments including the Quality of Family-centered Care, Parental Stressor Scale: NICU, and Maternal Postpartum Attachment Scale. Maternal self-representation was a key predictor of PPA (β = .68), accounting for 42.2% of variance. Multi-group analysis indicated that NICU environmental stressor sensitivity (β = .26) and maternal self-representation (β = .67) were predictive of PPA in mothers of moderately preterm and low birthweight (32–36 weeks’ gestation, 1500–2499 g birthweight) infants. Quality of family-centered developmental care (β = .11) and NICU environmental stressor sensitivity (β = − .16) had significant indirect effects on PPA through psycho-emotional responses. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the importance of family-centered interventions focusing on psychosocial support and family participation in baby care, based on their environmental role in promoting PPA.

Mothers’ Perceptions of Quality of Family-Centered Care and Environmental Stressors in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Predictors of and Relationships with Psycho-emotional Outcomes and Postpartum Attachment

Background and Aim Cancer survivors are gradually increasing, however, they suffer from various difficulties. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of cancer survivors and the effects of the services of the Korean Cancer Survivorship Center Pilot Project launched by the South Korean government on distress. Methods A prospective observational cohort study was performed on cancer survivors who completed primary treatment. Cancer survivors' distress and symptoms such as fatigue, pain, depressive mood, anxiety, and insomnia were evaluated by well-trained nurses. Regarding their needs, medical and psychosocial support services were provided. Results This study included 1,921 cancer survivors, with a mean age of 57.3 years (68.7% females). Breast cancer was most common, followed by stomach and colorectal cancer. Psychosocial and medical support decreased the percentage of the high-distress group from 50.9 to 30.5% and decreased the percentage of cancer survivors with high scores in fatigue, pain, anxiety, depressive mood, and insomnia. The independent predictors of a low distress level after the use of the services were older age, the relief of fatigue, pain, and insomnia. Conclusion This study showed that psychosocial and medical support is associated with the lower distress and physical and mental symptoms of cancer survivors. Psychosocial and medical support could contribute to distress relief in cancer survivors. Further management strategies for fatigue, pain and insomnia are required.

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The Positive Effects of Cancer Survivor Support Service on Distress in South Korea: A Nationwide Prospective Study

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships of family strain, perceived social support, family hardiness, and family adaptation and identify the family resiliency factors for the adaptation of families who have a child with congenital heart disease. Method The sample consisted of 90 families who had a child diagnosed with congenital heart disease and completed surgical treatment. Data was collected from parents using a questionnaire. Results Results from path analyses revealed that family strain had a direct effect on both perceived social support and family hardiness, and an indirect effect on family adaptation. Also, the findings revealed that perceived social support had a direct effect on both family hardiness and family adaptation, and family hardiness had a direct effect on family adaptation. Thus, these results indicated that perceived social support and family hardiness had a mediating effect on family strain. Conclusion Findings provide the evidence for the theoretical and empirical significance of perceived social support and family hardiness as family resiliency factors for family adaptation. Clinical implications of these findings might be discussed in terms of family-centered nursing interventions for the families who have a child with congenital heart disease based on an understanding of family resiliency for adaptation.

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E. Hwa Yun

Papers

Mothers’ Perceptions of Quality of Family-Centered Care and Environmental Stressors in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Predictors of and Relationships with Psycho-emotional Outcomes and Postpartum Attachment

The Positive Effects of Cancer Survivor Support Service on Distress in South Korea: A Nationwide Prospective Study

Family Resiliency Facto for the Adaptation of Family who have a Congenital Heart Disease