Abstract
Mothers with an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at risk for depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms, with negative implications for maternal-infant bonding, maternal well-being, and infant development. Few interventions to promote NICU mothers’ mental health, however, have been developed or tested. This pre-post pilot study assessed feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a mindfulness intervention for NICU mothers. Twenty-seven mothers were recruited from a university NICU and offered a mindfulness intervention via introductory video and audio-recorded practices. Participants completed a baseline self-report survey. After 2 weeks of engaging with intervention materials, participants completed a second survey and in-depth interview. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t tests; qualitative data were analyzed using thematic coding. Twenty-four women (89%) completed the study. Quantitative data indicated significant improvements in depressive, anxiety, and trauma symptoms, negative coping, NICU-related stress, and sleep (p < 0.05). Qualitative data identified themes of perceived improvements in psychological distress and stress symptoms, self-care, and relationships. Findings support the mindfulness intervention’s feasibility, acceptability, and potential promise for reducing maternal distress and promoting well-being. Use of video and audio modalities may facilitate program sustainability and scale up. Further research on the program is merited.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Archives of Women's Mental Health |
| DOIs | |
| State | Accepted/In press - Jun 5 2018 |
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Keywords
- Maternal distress
- Maternal well-being
- Mindfulness
- Neonatal intensive care
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
A mindfulness intervention to reduce maternal distress in neonatal intensive care : a mixed methods pilot study. / Mendelson, Tamar; McAfee, Ciara; Damian, April Joy; Brar, Amitoj; Donohue, Pamela Kimzey; Sibinga, Erica.
In: Archives of Women's Mental Health, 05.06.2018, p. 1-9.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A mindfulness intervention to reduce maternal distress in neonatal intensive care
T2 - a mixed methods pilot study
AU - Mendelson, Tamar
AU - McAfee, Ciara
AU - Damian, April Joy
AU - Brar, Amitoj
AU - Donohue, Pamela Kimzey
AU - Sibinga, Erica
PY - 2018/6/5
Y1 - 2018/6/5
N2 - Mothers with an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at risk for depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms, with negative implications for maternal-infant bonding, maternal well-being, and infant development. Few interventions to promote NICU mothers’ mental health, however, have been developed or tested. This pre-post pilot study assessed feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a mindfulness intervention for NICU mothers. Twenty-seven mothers were recruited from a university NICU and offered a mindfulness intervention via introductory video and audio-recorded practices. Participants completed a baseline self-report survey. After 2 weeks of engaging with intervention materials, participants completed a second survey and in-depth interview. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t tests; qualitative data were analyzed using thematic coding. Twenty-four women (89%) completed the study. Quantitative data indicated significant improvements in depressive, anxiety, and trauma symptoms, negative coping, NICU-related stress, and sleep (p < 0.05). Qualitative data identified themes of perceived improvements in psychological distress and stress symptoms, self-care, and relationships. Findings support the mindfulness intervention’s feasibility, acceptability, and potential promise for reducing maternal distress and promoting well-being. Use of video and audio modalities may facilitate program sustainability and scale up. Further research on the program is merited.
AB - Mothers with an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at risk for depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms, with negative implications for maternal-infant bonding, maternal well-being, and infant development. Few interventions to promote NICU mothers’ mental health, however, have been developed or tested. This pre-post pilot study assessed feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a mindfulness intervention for NICU mothers. Twenty-seven mothers were recruited from a university NICU and offered a mindfulness intervention via introductory video and audio-recorded practices. Participants completed a baseline self-report survey. After 2 weeks of engaging with intervention materials, participants completed a second survey and in-depth interview. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t tests; qualitative data were analyzed using thematic coding. Twenty-four women (89%) completed the study. Quantitative data indicated significant improvements in depressive, anxiety, and trauma symptoms, negative coping, NICU-related stress, and sleep (p < 0.05). Qualitative data identified themes of perceived improvements in psychological distress and stress symptoms, self-care, and relationships. Findings support the mindfulness intervention’s feasibility, acceptability, and potential promise for reducing maternal distress and promoting well-being. Use of video and audio modalities may facilitate program sustainability and scale up. Further research on the program is merited.
KW - Maternal distress
KW - Maternal well-being
KW - Mindfulness
KW - Neonatal intensive care
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048062464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85048062464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00737-018-0862-x
DO - 10.1007/s00737-018-0862-x
M3 - Article
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - Archives of Women's Mental Health
JF - Archives of Women's Mental Health
SN - 1434-1816
ER -