Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Dec;35 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S9-13.
doi: 10.1038/jp.2015.143.

Recommendations for peer-to-peer support for NICU parents

Affiliations
Review

Recommendations for peer-to-peer support for NICU parents

S L Hall et al. J Perinatol. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Peer-to-peer support provided by 'veteran' neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents to those with current NICU babies is a legitimate and unique form of support that can complement or supplement, but not replace, services provided by professional NICU staff. Peer support can be delivered through hospital- or community-based programs that offer one-to-one in-person or telephone matches, or support groups that meet in-person or via the Internet. Issues in program development, volunteer training and program operation are discussed. Recommendations for offering peer support to all NICU parents as an integral component of family-centered care and comprehensive family support are presented.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

SL Hall has a consulting agreement with the Wellness Network, but this organization had no input or editing rights to the content included in the recommendations. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. 1Bracht M, O'Leary L, Lee S, O'Brien K. Implementing family-integrated care in the NICU: a parent education and support program. Adv Neonatal Care 2013; 13(2): 115–126. - PubMed
    1. 2American Academy of PediatricsCommittee on Hospital CareInstitute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care. Patient- and family-centered care and the pediatrician's role. Pediatrics 2012; 129: 394–404. - PubMed
    1. 3Singer L, Salvator A, Guo S, Collin M, Lilien L, Baley J. Maternal psychological distress and parenting stress after the birth of a very low-birth-weight infant. JAMA 1999; 281: 799–805. - PMC - PubMed
    1. 4Miles S, Holditch-Davis D, Schwartz T, Scher M. Depressive symptoms in mothers of prematurely born infants. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2007; 28: 36–44. - PubMed
    1. 5Rogers C, Kidokoro H, Wallendorf M, Inder T. Identifying mothers of very preterm infants at-risk for postpartum depression and anxiety before discharge. J Perinatol 2013; 33: 171–176. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types