Abstract
Objective
Assess maternal psychological functioning within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and its contribution to neonate length of stay (LOS) in the NICU.
Study design
Mothers of infants admitted to the NICU (n=111) were assessed regarding postpartum depression, postpartum social support, postpartum NICU stress, and maternal anxiety at 2 weeks postpartum. Illness severity was assessed with the Clinical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB).
Results
Postpartum depression was not significantly correlated with LOS, but was significantly correlated with trait anxiety (r=0.620), which was significantly correlated with LOS (r=0.227). Among mothers with previous mental health history, substance abuse history and CRIB score were the best predictors of LOS. For mothers without a prior mental health issues, delivery type, stress associated with infant appearance, and CRIB scores were the best predictors of LOS. In this group, LOS was found to increase on average by 7.06 days per one unit increase in stress associated with infant appearance among mothers with the same delivery type and CRIB score.
Conclusion
Significant correlations of trait anxiety, stress associated with infant appearance, and parental role with LOS support the tenet that postpartum psychological functioning can be associated with NICU LOS.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the staff of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK for their support and assistance with this project. This work was supported in part by an interdepartmental grant through the Section of Perinatal Medicine within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Disclosure
The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.