ArticleClinical and experimental pediatrics2024
Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress among parents of neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in Clinical and experimental pediatrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Global prevalence of post-miscarriage anxiety, depression, and stress: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Pooled it
- Parental Stress and Well-Being: A Meta-analysis.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Pooled it
- A Digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Education Intervention for Caregivers of Very Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mental health · 2026Trial
- Evaluating a family-centered care intervention for reducing post-traumatic stress and aggression among parents of infants with congenital anomalies: a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Comparative efficacy of two kangaroo care scheduling methods on depressed mood and mental health in birthing parents of preterm infants: a randomized clinical trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of a Telesimulation Program to Support Psychosocial Communication Training for Neonatology Fellows.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Perceived Parental Stress in Open Bay Versus Single-Family Rooms in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Observational
- A Core Outcome Set for Family-Centered Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Settings: An International eDelphi Study and Online Consensus Meeting.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Person-Centered Exploration of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Stressors and Social Support in Parenting Very Preterm Infants: A Cross-Sectional Study on Risks and Resources in Italy and Portugal.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Assessing Neonatal Transport, Health Outcomes, and Psychosocial Inequities Among Black, Very Preterm Infants and Their Families to Advance Health Equity: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Moving toward meaningful shared decision-making in neonatal care: clinical practice and policy implications in Korea.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2026Article
- Culture-Confirmed Bacterial Sepsis and Invasive Fungal Infection in Preterm Infants: NICU Resource Burden, Major Morbidity, and Caregiver Psychological Distress.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children and Adolescents: The Role of Parental Mental Illnesses: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Stress and Coping Strategies among Parents of Neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-sectional Study.Annals of African medicine · 2026Article
- Maternal Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Participation in Care in Neonatal Semi-Intensive and Intensive Care Units: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study in Two Sri Lankan Hospitals.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Relationship Between Parents' Mental Health and Infant Admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman.Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2026Article
- Prevalence of positive screens for depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms among parents of infants admitted to a NICU: a pilot study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- The Association Between Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Admission Among Full-Term Infants: A Finnish National Cohort Study.Clinical epidemiology · 2026Article
- Family Integrated Care in Single Family Rooms and Neonatal Outcomes in Preterm Infants: A Multicenter Cohort Study.Neonatology · 2026Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNeonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission causes significant distress that can hinder the successful transition into parenthood, child-parent relations, and child development. PURPOSE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to understand parental psychological phenomena. Here we assessed the emotional response of parents of newborns during NICU admission.
methodsTwo authors independently searched the PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, Clinical Key, and Google Scholar databases for studies published between January 01, 2004, and December 31, 2021. The review followed Cochrane collaboration guidelines and the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) statement. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Stata software (version 16) was used to compute the results.
resultsThis review comprised 6,822 parents (5,083 mothers, 1,788 fathers; age range, 18-37 years) of NICU patients. The gestational ages and neonatal weights were 25.5-42 weeks and 750-2,920 g, respectively. The pooled prevalence of anxiety was higher among mothers (effect size [ES], 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-0.61; and heterogeneity [I2]=97.1%; P<0.001) than among fathers (ES, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.11-0.42; I2=96.6%; P<0.001). Further, the pooled prevalence of depression was higher among mothers (ES, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.24-0.38; I2=91.5%; P<0.001) than among fathers (ES, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03-0.22; I2=85.6%; P<0.001). Similarly, the pooled prevalence of stress was higher among mothers (ES, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.31-0.51; I2= 93.9%; P<0.001) than among fathers (ES, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.09-0.34; I2=85.2%; P<0.001).
conclusionNICU admission is more stressful for mothers than fathers and can affect mental health and quality of life. Mothers reported a higher pooled prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression than fathers, possibly attributable to their feelings about birthing a sick child.
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