Parental stress following a neonatal experience
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the influences and impact of parental stress following infant admission to a neonatal unit.
IRAS ID
343767
Contact name
Andrew Surtees
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
An infant admission to the neonatal unit can be an extremely stressful experience for all parents. An infant admission to a neonatal unit has been directly linked with poor mental health outcomes for parents such as acute stress and PTSD. This project will aim to explore the influences on, and impact of, parental stress.
OBJECTIVE 1
To identify the factors that can protect parents of infants born on the NICU from trauma. The Hobfoll Principles are a series of principles (sense of safety, calmness, sense of self and collective efficacy, connectedness to support and hope) that have been recognised as essential in supporting people against trauma. Questionnaires will explore the relationship between the Hobfoll Principles and acute stress.OBJECTIVE 2
To examine the relationship between maternal stress on the NICU and later maternal mind-mindedness. There has been previous research which shows that birth and post-natal stress can impact the parent-infant relationship. This projects aims to look specifically at how in-touch the mother is to the needs of the baby, especially in pre-term babies who may not be able to communicate their needs in the same way as full term babies using video-call observations.Clinically, this project will lead to a number of potential benefits such as being able to highlight parents who may be vulnerable to PTSD following such stressful experiences, enabling earlier support. The project will also inform clinical work with families, with the focus being on helping families to attune to their baby’s cues and signals, as at the moment, there is little support and resources available to families post NICU discharge.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/0258
Date of REC Opinion
16 Apr 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion