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.

Examining technology use and mental health among parents with newborns in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

“…To better address mental health symptoms for parents coping with the stress of having an infant in the NICU, we recommend that NICUs maintain trained staff members who can set families up with appropriate virtual mental health resources, such as virtual support groups for emotional support or virtual counseling to teach coping strategies. Prior studies suggest that parents need to be offered mental health services upon NICU discharge in order take advantage of them [ 12 , 13 ]. Additionally, families with low digital literacy may need extra support when learning to use these resources [ 14 ].…”