Parental Stress, Depression, and Participation in Care Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Observational Study in an Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

ABSTRACT: Background: Recent studies reported, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased mental distress among the general population and among women around the childbirth period. COVID-19 pandemic may undermine the vulnerable well-being of parents in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Objective: Our study aimed to explore whether parental stress, depression, and participation in care in an Italian NICU changed significantly over three periods: pre-pandemic (T₀), low (T₁), and high COVID-19 incidence (T₂). Methods: Enrolled parents were assessed with the Parental Stressor Scale in the NICU (PSS:NICU), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and Index of Parental Participation (IPP). Stress was the study primary outcome. A sample of 108 par

SUBMITTER: Bua J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8515023 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature