Psychosocial support provided to parents of infants in neonatal intensive care units: an international survey
Open accessAbstract
Objective To describe current psychosocial support practices and programs for parents with infants in level II nurseries and level III neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Australia and New Zealand.Study design A staff member from each level II and level III hospital completed an online survey about the psychosocial support services available for parents in Australia and New Zealand. Mixed methods (descriptive and statistical analysis; descriptive content analysis) were used to describe current services and practices.Results Of 66 eligible units, 44 participated in the survey (67%). Hospital-based pediatricians (32%) and clinical directors (32%) were the most common respondents. Level III NICUs reported providing significantly more services for parents than level II nurseries (median [IQR]: level III, 7 [5.25-8.75]; level II, 4.5 [3.25-5]; P < .001), with variability in the type and number of services available (range, 4-13). Less than half of units (43%) reported using standardized screening tools to assess parents for mental health distress, and just 4 units (9%) provided staff-led parent mental health support programs. In qualitative feedback, respondents frequently reported a lack of resources (staffing, funding, and training) to support parents.Conclusions Despite the well-documented distress that parents with infants in neonatal units experience and the evidence-based practices known to reduce this distress, this study identifies significant gaps in parent support services in level II and level III NICUs across Australia and New Zealand.
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Clinically feasible psychosocial interventions for NICU parents and caregivers in Aotearoa New Zealand are lacking.
“Yet clinically feasible psychosocial interventions for NICU parents and caregivers in Aotearoa New Zealand are lacking [11].”
From A digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and education intervention targeting stress of parents and caregivers with preterm babies in the neonatal intensive care unit: A randomised controlled cluster trial protocol (2024) · cites this paper as [11]
The Discussion reports limited formal screening and few staff-led mental-health support programs in neonatal units across Australia and New Zealand. This supports a gap in psychosocial support, but the paper does not establish that clinically feasible interventions are lacking specifically in Aotearoa New Zealand; it surveys services rather than intervention feasibility. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA 2023 survey found that NICUs in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia have limited resources and few psychosocial support programmes available to parents.
“A 2023 survey of psychosocial support services for NICU parents across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia found that NICUs have limited resources (including staff and funding) and few psychosocial support programmes available to parents [11].”
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- Authors
- Ginsberg, K. H., Serlachius, A., Rogers, J., & Alsweiler, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Ginsberg, Kristin Harrison
- Venue
- The Journal of Pediatrics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2023-08
- Volume
- 259
- Pages
- 113456
- ISSN
- 0022-3476 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4376109914
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 3.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Journal of Pediatrics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ResearchSpace (University of Auckland) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Radiological and Ultrasound Technology › Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Keywords
- psychosocial support, parents of preterm infants, neonatal intensive care unit, parental mental health, parent support programs, Australia, New Zealand
- MeSH terms
- Psychosocial Support Systems, Australia, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Intensive Care Units, Neonatal, Parents, Surveys and Questionnaires
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