A systematic review of psycho-spiritual interventions in the NICU: Supporting parents' mental health and psychological well-being
Background—The presence of psycho-spiritual supports and interventions for NICU parents is unclear.
Purpose—This systematic review examines the psychological and medical literature for psycho-spiritual interventions designed to support parents’ mental health and psychological well-being during or after the NICU experience.
Data Sources—Data sources include PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials with peer-reviewed studies published between 2013-2023.
Study Selection—Peer-reviewed studies that included spiritual and psychological intervention components focused on supporting parents during or after the NICU were included for this systematic review. There were 42 records located in the databases and register, three of which were duplicates, ultimately yielding 4 studies that met inclusion criteria, which specified spiritual interventions with parents/caregivers must be included in addition to psychosocial components for article inclusion.
Data Extraction—Due to the small number of studies, article summaries are provided within the results section and were written by the first author with approval by the second and third authors.
Results—Results indicated that when psychological (focus on coping) and spiritual components were included in an intervention to decrease parental stress or increase parents’ psychological well-being, outcomes were better for NICU parents.
Implications for Practice and Research—The inclusion of psychological and spiritual aspects of coping and supportive care is necessary for the best family-centered care outcomes. More work needs to be done to develop psychospiritual supports and include fathers in these endeavors as most work occurs with mothers. Nurses need support and training to facilitate whole-person family-centered care with a focus on psycho-spiritual needs of parents.
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Advances in Neonatal Care. The published version of record [A Systematic Review of Psycho-Spiritual Interventions in the NICU. Advances in Neonatal Care 24, 2 p141-150 (2024)] is available online at: 10.1097/anc.0000000000001160.
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| Work Title | A systematic review of psycho-spiritual interventions in the NICU: Supporting parents' mental health and psychological well-being |
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| License | In Copyright (Rights Reserved) |
| Work Type | Article |
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| Publication Date | April 2024 |
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| Deposited | March 24, 2025 |
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