A scoping review of parental experiences caring for their hospitalized medically fragile infants.
Authors of this article are:
Mackay LJ, Benzies KM, Barnard C, Hayden KA.
A summary of the article is shown below:
AIM: To synthesize and summarize evidence from published research articles regarding parental experiences caring for their hospitalized medically fragile infant.METHODS: We searched four electronic databases in April 2018 using three main concepts individually and in combination: infant, medically fragile, parents. We examined articles about experiences of parents caring for the medically fragile infant in a hospital setting. We conducted thematic analysis on the 34 included articles.RESULTS: Parents experienced high rates of depressive symptoms, depression, stress, anxiety, distress, and post traumatic stress. Parent-infant interactions were disrupted. Parents experienced loss and worry in response to the diagnosis of their infant, which altered or delayed parental role attainment. Supports and coping were key for parents to manage their stress.CONCLUSION: Parents of medically fragile infants experience multiple stressors, elevated levels of mental health difficulties, trouble attaining their parental role, and often struggle to cope. Development of interventional research is needed to test targeted strategies aimed at reducing parental stress and mental health difficulties. Interventions should include: screening for parental mental health, psychological support, health care professional education, strategies to enhance parent-infant interactions, and improved relationship competencies among health care professionals. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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This article is a good source of information and a good way to become familiar with topics such as: infant mental health;medically complex infant;medically fragile infant;parent-infant interactions;pediatric nursing.
