Research Article: Unmet Parental Mental Health Service Needs in Neonatal Follow-Up Programs: Parent and Service Provider Perspectives †
Abstract:
Parental mental health services in neonatal follow-up programs (NFUPs) are lacking though needed. This study aimed to determine (1) the unmet mental health needs of parents and (2) the parent and provider perspectives on barriers and opportunities to increase mental health service access. Study 1: Parents in a central Canadian NFUP (N = 49) completed a mixed-method online survey (analyzed descriptively and by content analysis) to elucidate their mental health, related service use, barriers to service use, and service preferences. Study 2: Virtual focus groups with NFUP service providers (N = 5) were run to inform service improvements (analyzed by reflexive thematic analysis). The results show that parents endorsed a 2–4 times higher prevalence of clinically significant depression (59.2%), anxiety (51.0%), and PTSD (26.5%) than the general postpartum population. Most parents were not using mental health services (55.1%) due to resource insecurity among parents (e.g., time, cost) and the organization (e.g., staffing, training, referrals). Consolidating parents’ and service providers’ perspectives revealed four opportunities for service improvements: bridging services, mental health screening, online psychoeducation, and peer support. Findings clarify how a central Canadian NFUP can address parental mental health in ways that are desired by parents and feasible for service providers.
Introduction:
The Canadian Institute for Health Information reports that 14.4% of Canadian infants are born premature or with health concerns warranting admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care unit (NICU) [1]. Most parents perceive the NICU experience as a traumatic life event [2], with 18–63% of parents experiencing associated, significant mental health concerns. For example, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology postpartum is two to four times higher among mothers of…
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