NICU and parents experience of building a relationship.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study exploring how parents with a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) find building a relationship with their baby before and after leaving the unit.
IRAS ID
195266
Contact name
Andrea Ellis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study will explore relationships between parents and their babies where the baby has spent at least three days within a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) following birth and before the baby is discharged home. The first few days and weeks are critical periods for the development of the parent-infant relationship, but if the baby requires intensive care due to medical reasons, the experience of the relationship can be very different to that of other parents whose babies have not required neonatal intensive care. As medical and nursing staff provide care for babies to keep them alive and healthy in NICU, the uncertainty of outcome means that this can be a very worrying time for parents. The first 6-10 weeks of a baby's life are important for building a relationship with a caregiver, but for most families whose baby has been in intensive care, much of this period will be spent in hospital. This research will look at parents' experiences of forming a relationship with their baby following a period in intensive care.
Phase 1 of study: The primary caregiver will be interviewed before the baby is deemed well enough for discharge from hospital but is out of intensive care (i.e., on the pathway home in the special care unit). The research interview will focus on parents' experiences of building a relationship with their baby, how they feel about going home and becoming the baby's primary caregiver (without 24 hour support of medical staff). Parents will then be interviewed again following discharge from hospital (6-10 weeks post-discharge), to explore experiences of caregiving, parent-infant relationships, and relationship development and change.
Phase 2 of study: A further follow-up interview at 12-months post-discharge will be conducted to explore parent-infant relationships over the longer-term.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0146
Date of REC Opinion
21 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion