Family integrated model for newborn care may improve fathers’ mental health

A family integrated care model appeared to decrease paternal stress at discharge and increase fathers’ involvement in newborn care vs. standard neonatal care, according to a prospective cohort study published in JAMA Network Open.

“The primary objective was to study the association of the [family integrated care (FICare)] model in single family rooms with complete couplet-care for the mother-newborn dyad vs. standard neonatal care (SNC) in open bay units with mental health outcomes (stress, anxiety, depression, impaired father-newborn bonding, self-efficacy and satisfaction) among fathers at discharge of their preterm newborn,” Nicole R. van Veenendaal, MD, MSc, of the department of pediatrics and neonatology, OLVG, in Amsterdam, and colleagues wrote. “The secondary objective was to study whether parent participation was a mediator of the association of the FICare model on paternal mental health.”

Researchers at level-2 neonatal units in the Netherlands examined the mental health of fathers of preterm newborns via the Parental Stress Scale: NICU, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Post-partum Bonding Questionnaire, Perceived (Maternal) Parenting Self-efficacy Scale and satisfaction with care (EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care–Neonatology). Further, they examined parent participation as a potential mediator of the link between the FICare model and outcomes with mediation analyses. They analyzed survey responses from 89 fathers (mean age, 35.1 years) in FICare and 93 fathers (mean age, 36.4 years) in SNC.

Results showed less stress (adjusted beta = 10.02; 95% CI, 15.91 to 4.13) and higher participation scores (adjusted OR = 3.424; 95% CI, 0.86-5.988) among fathers in FICare vs. those in SNC.

“In this FICare model, fathers can participate more, which is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and better parent-newborn bonding,” van Veenendaal and colleagues wrote. “Fathers should be enabled and supported to participate actively in all aspects of newborn care, and NICU care culture should be tailored to participation and the needs of fathers regardless of architectural design of the neonatal unit.”