Maternal stress in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A concept analysis.
Mitsuki Nojima, Hisayo Okayama
PMID 41478628WHAT IT FOUND
For NICU nurses, maternal stress includes guilt, feeling stuck and vague anxiety about the future, not only anxiety or depression.
Staff communication and support can ease or worsen it, so assessment should cover separation, alarms and parental-role barriers.
Key findings
01The analysis identified six antecedent categories, three attributes and four consequences of maternal stress in the NICU.
02Maternal stress in the NICU was defined as desperation for the infant, feelings of inadequacy and vague anxiety about the future caused by stressors beyond the mother's control. It was described as cumulative, affecting the mother, her relationship with the infant and her relationship with her partner.
03Support resources for mothers can have both positive and negative effects on maternal stress.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The initial screening was inadequate, so the authors had to rescreen 45 articles after close reading. Only 32 articles were analysed, and the search terms may not have captured all relevant research. The search was done in September 2024, and the authors note that more recent studies may not have been included. The analysis may reflect researcher subjectivity, although the second author was consulted to improve credibility. This is a concept analysis, not a test of whether any intervention reduces maternal stress. The authors describe the concept as continually evolving, so the definition is not fixed.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the identified stressors and consequences as proof that a nursing intervention reduces maternal stress. This paper defined a concept from existing literature and did not test an intervention.