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AIM: To compare mental health in parents of preterm/ill infants and parents of term and healthy infants before birth and 1 month after hospital discharge.

METHODS: A comparative cohort design was used. In total 439 parents from six neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and 484 parents from four maternity units (MUs) in Sweden answered a survey 1 month after discharge.

RESULTS: Parents in neonatal units experienced significantly more psychologically traumatic births and rated their health and the health of their infants less favourably the first week after delivery than parents in MUs. In the neonatal units, both parents had better possibilities to stay together with the infant during hospital stay. There was no difference between the NICU and MU groups in postpartum depressive symptoms 1 month after discharge. Experiencing a traumatic birth was not related to an increased risk of perinatal depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale ≥13) for mothers in NICUs. In contrast, the risk of depression increased for mothers in MUs.

CONCLUSION: Family togetherness, parent-infant closeness and emotional support at NICUs may contribute to the positive outcome. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of how family togetherness and closeness influence families long-term.

OBJECTIVE: To describe factors associated with quality of couple relationships among parents of infants cared for in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) 1 year after birth and examine the trajectory of the relationship quality compared to parents from maternity units (MUs).

STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinally comparative cohort design. Parents answered surveys during the first year after discharge about the couple relationship, social support, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: Better social support and a hospital stay of 7-14 days were positively associated with the couple relationship in NICU mothers, whereas not having slept together with the partner and infant during hospitalization were negatively associated. Depressive symptoms were negatively associated with the relationship among NICU fathers. There were no differences in trajectory of the relationship quality between NICU and MU parents.

CONCLUSION: To strengthen couple relationships, it could be important to improve social support, facilitate space and time for support, and enable togetherness during hospitalization.

Many parents of infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) experience trauma and a loss of their parental role, which may affect their parenting following discharge. This study aimed to compare parenting competence and coparenting between parents of NICU and non-NICU infants three years postpartum. We also examined factors influencing parenting among NICU parents.

We used a comparative cohort design to collect data from 561 parents who completed a set of questionnaires, including measures of parenting sense of competence, coparenting, dyadic relationship quality, social support, and depressive symptoms.

Three years postpartum, no differences were found in parenting sense of competence or coparenting between NICU parents and non-NICU parents. For both NICU mothers and fathers, a higher parenting sense of competence in satisfaction and efficacy was associated with a higher quality in the couple relationship. Mothers reported higher parenting satisfaction if they had not experienced a traumatic birth. Fathers reported higher parenting satisfaction if they had no depressive symptoms, and higher parenting efficacy if they had a longer couple relationship, received greater social support, had a shorter infant hospital stay, or were rooming-in with their partner and infant during hospitalization. Factors associated with more coparenting problems among NICU parents included lower couple relationship quality, a 7-14-day hospitalization for mothers, and lower social support for fathers.

This study highlights that early possibilities for parents to initiate parenthood together and receive adequate mental and social support during and after NICU hospitalization should be a priority for enhancing parents' sense of competence and coparenting.