TY - JOUR
T1 - Neonatal intensive care unit admission and maternal postpartum depression
AU - Wyatt, Tara
AU - Shreffler, Karina M.
AU - Ciciolla, Lucia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology.
PY - 2019/5/27
Y1 - 2019/5/27
N2 - Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of newborns’ Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admittance on maternal postpartum depression. Background: Prior research on the parental psychological impacts of a NICU admittance typically includes a hospital sample of parents following birth, so the causality of NICU admittance and maternal depressive symptomatology is unclear. Methods: 127 women across 38 counties in a South Central US state participated in online surveys in their third trimester and approximately six weeks post-birth in 2016. Pre- and post-birth assessments of depression were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). NICU admittance was asked in the post-birth survey. t-Tests and multivariable regression analyses were used to determine predictors of NICU admittance and postnatal depressive symptomatology. Results: Findings indicate that prenatal depression does not differ significantly between mothers by NICU admission status, but NICU admission is a significant predictor of postpartum depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: Having a newborn admitted to the NICU is a risk factor for maternal postpartum depression. These findings have implications for practice; screening mothers in the NICU for depression as a target for intervention has the potential to improve maternal well-being, which in turn should enhance subsequent infant developmental outcomes.
AB - Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of newborns’ Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admittance on maternal postpartum depression. Background: Prior research on the parental psychological impacts of a NICU admittance typically includes a hospital sample of parents following birth, so the causality of NICU admittance and maternal depressive symptomatology is unclear. Methods: 127 women across 38 counties in a South Central US state participated in online surveys in their third trimester and approximately six weeks post-birth in 2016. Pre- and post-birth assessments of depression were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). NICU admittance was asked in the post-birth survey. t-Tests and multivariable regression analyses were used to determine predictors of NICU admittance and postnatal depressive symptomatology. Results: Findings indicate that prenatal depression does not differ significantly between mothers by NICU admission status, but NICU admission is a significant predictor of postpartum depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: Having a newborn admitted to the NICU is a risk factor for maternal postpartum depression. These findings have implications for practice; screening mothers in the NICU for depression as a target for intervention has the potential to improve maternal well-being, which in turn should enhance subsequent infant developmental outcomes.
KW - mother(s)
KW - Neonatal intensive care
KW - NICU
KW - postnatal depression
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85057309575&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02646838.2018.1548756
DO - 10.1080/02646838.2018.1548756
M3 - Article
C2 - 30450956
AN - SCOPUS:85057309575
SN - 0264-6838
VL - 37
SP - 267
EP - 276
JO - Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
JF - Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
IS - 3
ER -