Maternal anxiety upon NICU discharge of high-risk infants

Maternal anxiety and apprehension at various stages in pregnancy are associated with abnormal labour, dystocia, higher rates of foetal and maternal morbidity, and neonatal behavioural abnormalities. We have aimed to determine predischarge state and trait anxiety levels in a population of mothers of neonatal intensive care (NICU) discharged high-risk newborn infants, and to investigate whether predischarge maternal anxiety would be another negative consequence of complicated gestation, labour and puerperium. State and trait anxiety levels, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), were examined in 100 consecutively enrolled mothers of third level NICU discharged high-risk infants and 100 control mothers of healthy babies discharged 4 days postpartum from the regular nursery. While trait anxiety levels were comparable between mothers of high-risk and healthy discharged newborns (age corrected values (T) 43.66±8.67 vs 43.70±7.25, respectively), state anxiety levels were significantly increased in the mother group of NICU discharged infants (age related values (T) 49.83±9.47 vs 46.68±8.58, respectively; p<0.05). In addition, state anxiety levels, in the mother groups associated to peripartal emotional distress or to delayed high-risk newborn discharge, significantly correlated (r=0.610; p<0.001) with personal trait anxiety levels. These data indicate that mothers with higher trait anxiety will react stronger to the emotional challenges of the NICU treatment, resulting in elevated levels of state anxiety. The implications for the development of high-risk infants are discussed.