Identification of Stressors Experienced by Parents of Infants in the NICU

Presenter's Name(s)

Annie W. ResnikoffFollow

Conference Year

January 2019

Abstract

Having an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a markedly stressful experience for parents. The specific elements that contribute to this stress, however, remain unclear. The primary aim of the current study is to better identify perceived stressors experienced by parents with infants in the NICU and to obtain notions of effective stress-reducing techniques. Identifying challenges faced by parents is necessary for the development of targeted interventions that efficiently reduce parental stress. It is hypothesized that parents and providers will identify a common set of challenges experienced by parents with an infant in the NICU. It is also hypothesized that parents and providers will identify a set of strategies to address these challenges during qualitative interviews. To test these hypotheses, a qualitative research study will be conducted to obtain and examine the narratives expressed by these stakeholders.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Dr. Matthew Price

Secondary Mentor Name

Holly-Lynn Busier

Status

Undergraduate

Student College

College of Education and Social Services

Program/Major

Early Childhood Special Education

Second Program/Major

Psychological Science

Primary Research Category

Social Sciences

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Identification of Stressors Experienced by Parents of Infants in the NICU

Having an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a markedly stressful experience for parents. The specific elements that contribute to this stress, however, remain unclear. The primary aim of the current study is to better identify perceived stressors experienced by parents with infants in the NICU and to obtain notions of effective stress-reducing techniques. Identifying challenges faced by parents is necessary for the development of targeted interventions that efficiently reduce parental stress. It is hypothesized that parents and providers will identify a common set of challenges experienced by parents with an infant in the NICU. It is also hypothesized that parents and providers will identify a set of strategies to address these challenges during qualitative interviews. To test these hypotheses, a qualitative research study will be conducted to obtain and examine the narratives expressed by these stakeholders.