TOPLINE

Interventions aimed at supporting parents’ mental health during their infant’s hospitalization in the NICU, such as psychotherapy and emotional support, were associated with reductions in anxiety, stress, and depression among parents.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 160 studies reporting interventions aimed at supporting parental mental health during their infants’ NICU stays.
• Overall, 16,639 parents (mean age, 30.2 years; 93.5% women) were included; 85 of the 160 studies were used for the meta-analysis.
• The interventions were grouped into six categories: bonding approaches, expressive or creative therapies, psychotherapy and emotional support, family-centered care and education, meditation and holistic approaches, and spiritual interventions. These were compared with standard care provided at the hospital without added interventions.
• The outcomes assessed using validated measures were parental anxiety, depression, stress, and posttraumatic stress or acute stress symptoms.

TAKEAWAY

• Psychotherapy and emotional support interventions were associated with reductions in parental anxiety and stress, and psychotherapy was linked to a reduction in depression, with large effect sizes.
• Interventions involving family-centered care and education were also linked to reductions in anxiety and stress in parents.
• Parent-infant bonding interventions such as kangaroo care and infant massage were associated with reductions in parental anxiety.
• Meditation and holistic interventions were associated with reductions in anxiety, with a large effect size, and reductions in stress, with a medium effect size.

IN PRACTICE

“[The] results suggest the need for integrated mental health services within the NICU and a broadening of family-based care and education as standard of care to support families at this critical time,” the researchers of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Claire E. Niehaus Milligan, PhD, of the Heart Mind Wellbeing Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio. It was published online on July 6, 2026, in JAMA Pediatrics.

LIMITATIONS

The analysis showed substantial differences between the included studies; therefore, the results may not apply to all patients or settings. Fathers were underrepresented, even though fathers can have an important impact on children’s outcomes.

DISCLOSURES

No funding source was reported for the study. One author reported receiving grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research outside the submitted work.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.