Pandemic visitor policies: Parent reactions and policy implications

Vance, Ashlee; Malin, Kathryn J.; Benjamin, Annella; Shuman, Clayton J.; Moore, Tiffany A.; Costa, Deena Kelly

doi:10.1111/apa.16208

Cited by 3 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In response to parents' psychological distress and decline in mental health, parents strongly advised that healthcare professionals provide more empathy and emotional support for NICU parents. These findings are consistent with several studies 15,21,25. Previous studies revealed a need for health services to increase psychological and emotional support for parents as this area is often neglected 22,25.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Similar to this study, previous studies revealed decreased opportunities for parental involvement in the care of the infant during the pandemic 15,25,30. Moreover, as in our study, the reduced opportunity for parental involvement in their infant's care ensued feelings of loneliness and distress among parents 21,25. Parent–infant separation has been noted to induce psychosocial stressors among parents and depressive symptoms 10.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…To reduce contagion, infectious disease management strategies, in particular NICU visit restrictions and personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, were among the major changes that occurred in most NICUs during the first wave of the pandemic (March 2020-Augsut 2020) 15–19. Across most NICUs in North America, including our own unit, family visits were limited to one person and duration was significantly reduced 17,20,21. These restrictions decreased the opportunity for parental engagement activities with their infants in the NICU and raised concerns regarding the mental health and potential developmental consequences in these infants 15,16,18–20,22,23.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[15][16][17][18][19] Across most NICUs in North America, including our own unit, family visits were limited to one person and duration was significantly reduced. 17,20,21 These restrictions decreased the opportunity for parental engagement activities with their infants in the NICU and raised concerns regarding the mental health and potential developmental consequences in these infants. 15,16,[18][19][20]22,23 Studies report that limited visiting hours have led to increased feeling of anxiety, 21 helplessness, 15 and loneliness among parents of infants in the NICU.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parental Perceptions of the Impact of NICU Visitation Policies and Restrictions Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Yance

Heath

et al. 2023

Advances in Neonatal Care

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted parents' ability to participate in their infants' care during the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay in unprecedented ways. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of parents whose infants was in the NICU during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative telephone interview survey was conducted. Participants included parents of preterm infants who were born less than 34 weeks' gestation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-August 2020). Telephone surveys were conducted through open-ended questions. A thematic content analysis identifying themes was performed after interviews were completed and transcribed. Results: A total of 8 mothers completed the telephone survey. Key themes from this study include parents experiencing increased stress due to the restricted visitation policies, limited opportunities to care for their infant, lack of support, and inconsistent communication regarding their infant status and COVID-19 protocols. Implications for Practice: Suggestions provided to enhance NICU services during the pandemic include increasing parental engagement opportunities to care for their infant in the NICU, enhanced empathy and compassion from the neonatal team, and open and transparent communication. Implications for Research: Further research investigating cultural impact on parents' perspectives, perspectives of fathers, long-term impact of how parents coped after discharge from the NICU, and emotional impact on NICU staff members may be beneficial to aid improvements in NICU service delivery during the ongoing and future pandemic.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Parental Perceptions of the Impact of NICU Visitation Policies and Restrictions Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Yance

Heath

et al. 2023

Advances in Neonatal Care

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“…A study conducted by Vance and colleagues during the same time period as our study found that NICU admission during COVID-19 resulted in significant strain on family well-being and finances [ 20 ]. Additionally, visitation restrictions in NICUs caused significant distress for postpartum patients [ 21 – 23 ]. Postpartum patients of NICU infants may have had higher odds of screening positive for postpartum depression due to the strain of NICU admission on family well-being and due to restrictive visitation policies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postpartum depression and associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2022

Self Cite

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Objective To describe postpartum depression and associated risk factors among postpartum patients in the United States (US) between February and July 2020. This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design to collect survey data from a convenience sample of postpartum patients who lived in the US and delivered a live infant after the US declared COVID-19 a public health emergency. Results Our sample included 670 postpartum patients who completed an online survey inclusive of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and selected demographic items (e.g. NICU admission status, infant gestational age, infant feeding method). In our sample, 1 in 3 participants screened positive for postpartum depression and 1 in 5 had major depressive symptoms. Participants who fed their infants formula had 92% greater odds of screening positive for postpartum depression and were 73% more likely to screen positive for major depressive symptoms compared to those who breastfed or bottle-fed with their own human milk. Participants with infants admitted to a NICU had 74% greater odds of screening positive. Each 1 week increase in weeks postpartum increased the odds of screening positive by 4%. Participants who worried about themselves and their infants contracting COVID-19 had 71% greater odds of screening positive.

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