Infant admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an extremely stressful postpartum outcome, as evidenced by data showing significant depressive symptoms in some 63% of new NICU mothers. Thus, as part of a Family-Centered Care philosophy, focus on the emotional well-being of the mother (and indeed the entire family) should be widely adopted by NICU nursing units. In current clinical practice, however, the emotional well-being of NICU mothers is often ignored. At best, NICU mothers are screened for depression and if indicated, referred to a mental health professional. We posit that the extremes of no treatment and full- on mental healthcare comprise an inadequate approach for treating mothers dealing with a normative reaction to a stressful event. In alignment with the Nurse Parent Support Model, we propose implementation of Listening Visits?a cost-effective nurse-delivered supportive approach, proven to relieve moderately severe depressive symptoms in mothers of term infants. In the NICU setting, Listening Visits were first implemented in a phase-1 feasibility trial conducted by PI Segre and her team. In that first trial, Listening Visits were delivered by a doctoral level nurse practitioner and showed promise as means to reduce distress in NICU mothers. A Listening Visit program for emotionally distressed NICU mothers is innovative because it is a cost-effective approach that uses resources that are largely in place, to serve a persistent unmet need in a vulnerable postpartum population. By having nurses provides support, the concept of emotional distress in NICU mothers is normalized. This new application of Listening Visits also directly aligns with the NINR emphasis on promoting coping to prevent compromising mood states. The promising results of the feasibility trial now must be challenged with a control group comparison to definitively attribute maternal improvements to Listening Visits. Thus the objective of the proposed research is to conduct a Phase 2 pilot RCT to evaluate Listening Visits provided by bachelor's-level NICU nurses as compared with the care currently provided by the NICU social work team. In three specific aims we will assess the relative effectiveness of Listening Visits on depression symptoms, perception of nurse support, and infant's length of stay. 0
The proposed research has potential to dramatically improve care for emotionally distressed mothers of newborns hospitalized on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Clinical NICU nurses are well-positioned to provide emotional support in the form of Listening Visits. Specifically, these nurses are easily accessible to NICU mothers, are often the most trusted professional on the healthcare team, they are knowledgeable about the newborn's medical conditions, and, finally they are already skilled in the art of warm communication. This intervention should not only improve depression outcomes in emotionally distressed NICU mothers but also indirectly impact maternal perception of nurse support which is in turn related to depression symptoms and patient satisfaction, as well as infant length-of-stay by accelerating maternal readiness for infant discharge. 1
