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The following is a summary of “Parental Self-Efficacy and Personal Time Help Explain Impact of Parent-Staff Interactions on Parental Distress and Bonding in the NICU,” published in the September 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Grunberg et al.

This study aimed to elucidate the factors that influence the relationship between parent-staff interactions and parental outcomes, specifically focusing on parental depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and parent-child bonding within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting.

A cross-sectional mixed methods survey was employed to explore how interactions between parents and NICU staff affect parental distress and parent-child bonding. The study involved 165 parents with infants in the NICU who completed validated psychological measures and provided open-ended feedback on their experiences with the NICU staff. A sequential explanatory approach was utilized to analyze the mediating roles of parental self-efficacy and personal time in the relationship between parent-staff interactions and parental distress and bonding, as well as thematic insights from parental written accounts of their interactions with staff.

The mediation analysis revealed that parent-staff interactions had an indirect effect on parental depression (b = -0.05, SE = 0.02, CI [-0.10, -0.01]), anxiety (b = -0.08, SE = 0.04, CI [-0.16, -0.02]), and parent-child bonding (b = -0.26, SE = 0.08, CI [-0.43, -0.11]) through parental self-efficacy. Additionally, interactions had an indirect effect on parental post-traumatic stress (b = -0.08, SE = 0.04, CI [-0.17, -0.00], CSIE = -0.06) via parental personal time. The thematic analysis highlighted that emotional and instructional support from staff was crucial in enhancing parental self-efficacy. Moreover, building trust with staff enabled parents to leave the bedside and attend to their own c needs, such as eating and sleeping.

The dynamics between families and NICU staff play a pivotal role in providing high-quality family-centered care. By fostering an environment where staff empower parents to engage in care activities and self-care, the potential to reduce parental distress and strengthen the relationships between staff, parents, and infants is significantly enhanced.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347624004037