An active pursuit of reassurance—coping strategies of fathers with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Lian, Berenice Xueli; Amin, Zubair; Sensaki, Sonoko; Aishworiya, Ramkumar

doi:10.1038/s41372-020-00853-2

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Additionally, parents should be supported to explore their coping mechanisms and/protective factors to support their emotional wellbeing (Huenink et al, 2017;Lian et al, 2020). Parental need for peerto-peer support and family/friends in supporting their emotional well-being was also revealed in this review.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Although some neonatal units have psychologists, it is important for nurses and other healthcare providers to continue the provision of ongoing emotional support. Additionally, parents should be supported to explore their coping mechanisms and/protective factors to support their emotional well‐being (Huenink et al, 2017; Lian et al, 2020). Parental need for peer‐to‐peer support and family/friends in supporting their emotional well‐being was also revealed in this review.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Support needs of parents in neonatal intensive care unit: An integrative review

Adama

Adua

Bayes

et al. 2021

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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Background Having an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is associated with intense emotional stress for both mothers and fathers. However, with the right support from staff, this stress can be reduced significantly. Although evidence on needs of parents in the neonatal unit exists, there is lack of a systematic integrative review on the support needs of parents in the neonatal unit. Current review evidence is needed to support busy neonatal unit clinicians in their practice. Aim and objectives The purpose of this integrative review is to explore the current available evidence to describe and understand the support needs of parents of infants in the NICU. Methods The integrative review process of Whittemore and Knafl (2005) was used to guide this study. Six databases—MEDLINE, CINHAL, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and PsycINFO—were searched for eligible studies using relevant keywords. Primary studies published in English language from 2010 to 2021 were reviewed following a pre‐determined inclusion criteria. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were critically appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The review report is guided by the PRISMA 2020 checklist for systematic reviews. Results Overall, 24 primary qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies were included in the review. Analysis of included studies resulted in six themes that demonstrate the support needs of parents in the NICU; 1. Information needs; 2. Emotionally intelligent staff; 3. Hands‐on support; 4. Targeted support; 5. Emotional needs; and 6. Practical needs. Conclusion This review has presented the current evidence on the needs of parents from their own perspective. Healthcare workers’ understanding and supporting these needs in the NICU is likely to increase parental satisfaction and improve health outcomes for parents, infants and their family. Relevance to clinical practice Parents of infants in the NICU require staff support to enhance their experiences, well‐being, caring and parenting confidence during admission and post‐discharge. As parents are in constant need for informational, emotional and practical support, continuing professional development for NICU staff should place emphasis on effective communication strategies, enhancing emotional intelligence and empathy among staff. NICU staff should build positive ongoing relationships with parents and provide targetted support for mothers and fathers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Support needs of parents in neonatal intensive care unit: An integrative review

Adama

Adua

Bayes

et al. 2021

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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“…2 They see themselves as practical, prone to problem-solving and proactivity. 7 Consequently, they tend to identify the stressors and take conscious action to address them. 7 These results are derived from research that focused on the fathers' experiences but did not investigate the fathers' physical, emotional, and psychological needs.…”

Section: Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 Consequently, they tend to identify the stressors and take conscious action to address them. 7 These results are derived from research that focused on the fathers' experiences but did not investigate the fathers' physical, emotional, and psychological needs. Currently, only a limited number of tools have been developed to address the needs of fathers with neonates in the NICU, and each of these tools has limitations.…”

Section: Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fathers suppress their outward emotional response to what they are feeling and spend their efforts supporting their partner and focusing on the high-tech equipment surrounding their newborn 2. They see themselves as practical, prone to problem-solving and proactivity 7. Consequently, they tend to identify the stressors and take conscious action to address them 7.…”

Section: Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

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A Feasibility Study to Test the NICU Paternal Needs Inventory

Merritt,

Verklan

2023

Advances in Neonatal Care

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Background: There has been little research exploring paternal needs while experiencing a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay. Some tools exist to measure paternal needs, but do not incorporate items to capture important information about how fathers cope with stress differently, and may have different needs. Therefore, an instrument is needed to measure and prioritize what needs are important to fathers to help facilitate the development of nursing interventions to help fathers cope with the NICU environment. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a feasibility study before large-scale pilot testing the instrument, the NICU Paternal Needs Inventory (NPNI), so we could then determine what are the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of fathers. Methods: A nonexperimental, quantitative, and descriptive design was used to address the study's aims. Fathers were recruited from a level IV NICU and asked to complete an online survey (consisting of a demographic survey and the NPNI). Results: Needs rated 100% were knowing infant's progress, directions on caring for infant, flexible visitation, and assurance receiving the best care. The remainder showed a wide range of responses suggesting that needs of fathers are individual and varied. Implications for Practice and Research: Use of the NPNI to evaluate a father's unique and individual needs would allow for the nurse to develop father-specific, individualized interventions. Findings support that the NPNI is feasible to accomplish measuring fathers' needs, but a larger study is needed to test the reliability and validity of this tool.

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