NICU infant health severity and family outcomes: a systematic review of assessments and findings in psychosocial research

Many infants (7-15%) spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and continue to experience medical issues after discharge. Family psychological responses range widely depending on burden of care, access to resources, and parental characteristics. The current systematic review examined how infant health severity is assessed and related to family psychological (e.g., mental health) and social (e.g., parent-infant attachment) outcomes. Seventy articles were deemed relevant. Infant health was operationalized in several ways including validated assessments, indices of infant health (e.g., diagnosis, length of stay), or novel measures. Parents of infants with increased medical complications reported greater family impact, increased stress, and more intrusive parenting style. A validated assessment of infant health that utilizes parent report is warranted to allow for more accessible and easily disseminated research across medical centers. Understanding NICU infant health severity and family outcomes can be used to identify families at risk for negative psychosocial sequelae.