Understanding and addressing mental health challenges of families admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.

This article reviews the psychological distress experienced by NICU families, including anxiety, postpartum depression (PPD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in addition to providing recommendations for clinicians at the individual, institutional, and national level. Currently, mental health screenings, specialized evaluations, and treatment options are not routinely offered to NICU families and are frequently under-utilized when offered. Here we provide expert opinion recommendations to address challenges in supporting universal screening, offering bedside interventions, including trained mental health professionals in care plans, updating neonatology training competencies, and advocating for policies that support the mental health of NICU families.

Preliminary Validation of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: Research suggests families whose infants are admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience elevated distress and may have pre-existing risk factors for maladjustment. This study sought to validate the newly developed Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT-NICU/Cardiac Intensive Care Unit [CICU]), a comprehensive screening measure for family psychosocial risk in the NICU.

Methods: The sample included 171 mothers, who completed the PAT-NICU/CICU and other related measures within 2 weeks of their infant's NICU admission at a level 4 unit within a large pediatric hospital.

Incidence and Parental Perception of Cardiorespiratory Monitor Use in Preterm Infants.

The objective of this study is to examine the incidence and clinical indicators for use of cardiorespiratory (CR) monitor use. We also examined parents' perceptions on the usefulness of home CR monitoring when their preterm infants were discharged from the hospital. A retrospective patients record review was conducted to assess CR monitor use at discharge in preterm infants from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017.

Development of postpartum depression interventions for mothers of premature infants: a call to target low-SES NICU families.

In the United States, ethnic minority status and low socioeconomic status both confer greater risk of premature birth. These sociodemographic factors also contribute to a greater risk of postpartum depression, as does giving birth prematurely. Considering the known adverse effects of postpartum depression on children's development, NICU-based mental health services for these high-risk mothers is an important public health intervention.

The use of telemedicine in pediatric psychology: research review and current applications.

Several novel technologies have long been used in pediatric psychology. From using electronic pill-count bottles to track child adherence to pill-taking regimens to using bed alarms for night time enuresis, psychologists have relied on technology in their work with children who are ill. Much of the recent technology literature in pediatric psychology has focused on the use of the Internet and other Web-based technologies.