Mothers of infants in the NICU suffer higher rates of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression compared with the general population. Often, their mental health concerns remain underidentified and undertreated, which can have deleterious effects on the offspring, both in short-term outcomes while in the NICU as well as long-term neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes. In this review, we present an overview of existing empirical evidence about how maternal mental health affects the health of infants, special considerations regarding the mental health needs of NICU mothers, and the findings about existing and developing interventions to address mental health concerns in this vulnerable population.
Copyright © 2020 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
2020
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Comments
RE: maternal health
Thank you for the this important article. I feel your article addresses only the tip of the iceberg. What about single mothers with poor support structure? What about maternal health after the death of their NICU baby? There is evidence there are important racial differences in single parent households and prematurity rates, with higher rates among black African-Americans. These mothers are at even higher risk for mental distress. There are few federal and state programs to assist these mothers cope with the stress, especially dealing with the death of their NICU infants.