Efficacy of Family Health Conversations on Mental Health, Family Wellbeing, and Family Functioning for Parents of Infants Requiring Mechanical Respiratory Support During Neonatal Intensive Care.
Marie Åberg Petersson, Carina Persson, Johan Israelsson
PMID 40753473WHAT IT FOUND
Family Health Conversations did not improve parents’ family functioning more than usual NICU care.
Anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms fell over time in both groups, and family wellbeing and functioning stayed stable.
Key findings
01All estimated effects on anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, family wellbeing, and family functioning were not statistically significant at the 0.05 level.
02The planned main comparison was family functioning, where lower scores are better; estimated effects were 0.08 points higher at 5 months and 0.14 points higher at 8 months, not statistically significant.
03Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms showed an overall decreasing trend over time in both groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was smaller than planned because of dropouts: 90 parents per group were needed, but only 113 parents responded at 5 months and 92 at 8 months. Not all families received the full intervention: only 18 of 45 FamHC families participated in three conversations. Randomization happened within the same NICUs, so parents in different groups could have shared information. Most FamHC delivery was by the research group rather than routine clinicians, so it may not reflect normal nursing practice. Participants were mostly Swedish-speaking, cohabiting, financially comfortable parents, and families with greater need were not included. Baseline mental health and family functioning were already good or stable, leaving little room to detect improvement. The self-report scales may not be sensitive to change over time. The paper did not collect infant diagnosis or length of care, which could have affected outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Family Health Conversations are ineffective for NICU families. The study was underpowered, many families had good baseline functioning, and symptoms decreased in both groups, so it does not prove the conversations have no value.