Abstract

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth has been associated with a number of adverse maternal psychological outcomes.AIMS: The current study aims to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a trauma-focused group intervention that is designed to reduce maternal symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress in a sample of mothers of preterm infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).STUDY DESIGN: The study was a one-group pre-/post quasi-experimental design. Participants received a 6-session intervention targeting parental trauma.SUBJECTS: English-speaking mothers (N=19) greater than 18years of age of infants 23-34weeks gestational age hospitalized in the NICU at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.OUTCOME MEASURES: Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II), Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS).RESULTS: Results from the study indicate that the intervention is feasible, able to be implemented with a high degree of fidelity, is rated as highly satisfactory by participants, and leads to statistically significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress at 6-week and 6-month follow-ups.CONCLUSIONS: Though encouraging, these findings are preliminary, and future studies should strive to reproduce these findings with a larger sample size and a comparison group.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105282

View details for PubMedID 33248796