Exploring Stress and Stress-Reduction With Caregivers and Clinicians in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Inform Intervention Development: Qualitative Interview Study.

Abstract

Background: Parents and caregivers with preterm babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience high levels of distress and are at an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and acute stress disorders. Effective interventions to reduce this distress are well described in the literature, but this research has been conducted primarily in Europe and North America. To our knowledge, few interventions of this sort have been developed in Australasia, and none have been developed or tested in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Objective: The primary aims of this study were to explore sources of stress with caregivers and clinicians in a NICU in Aotearoa New Zealand and gather participant ideas on ways to reduce caregiver stress to inform intervention development.

Methods: This qualitative design used an essentialist and realist methodology to generate findings aimed at future intervention development. Overall, 10 NICU clinicians (neonatologists, nurses, and mental health clinicians) and 13 caregivers (mothers, fathers, and extended family members) of preterm babies, either currently admitted or discharged from the NICU within the last 12 months, were recruited to participate in interviews exploring stress and stress-reduction in the NICU.

Results: The 23 participants included 10 clinicians (all female, with an average of 15 years of experience in the NICU) and 13 parents and caregivers (majority of them were female; 10/13, 77%) of preterm babies. We identified 6 themes relevant to intervention development. Three themes focused on caregiver stress: the emotional "rollercoaster" of NICU; lack of support, both culturally and emotionally; and caregivers feeling "left out" and confused. Three themes focused on participant-proposed solutions to reduce stress: caregiver empowerment, improving emotional support, and communication on "my" terms (ie, digitally).

Conclusions: Participants reported high levels of caregiver stress in the NICU, and they proposed a range of stress-reducing solutions, including increasing caregiver empowerment and improving emotional and cultural support. Clinicians and caregivers also strongly agreed on providing more information for caregivers in digital, mobile-friendly formats.