Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Doctoral Research Paper
Degree Name
Psy.D.
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
Tracy Vozar
Second Advisor
Michael Karson
Third Advisor
Amy Van Arsdale
Keywords
Adolescent pregnancy, Teen parents, NICU, Health outcomes
Abstract
Parents of infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are more likely to experience posttraumatic stress, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, difficulties caring for or bonding with their infants, and financial concerns than parents who deliver full-term, healthy newborns (Ionio et al., 2016). Some NICU admissions may last several months before the premature and/or critically ill infant is stable enough for discharge, and other times the likelihood of discharge is uncertain. Arguably, teen parents with NICU infants are confronted with even more stressors throughout their newborn's hospitalization and post-discharge when they settle into their role as a new parent. Although the health and mental health outcomes of adult NICU parents are well documented in the literature, less research has investigated the unique challenges of supporting young parents and their NICU infants, as adolescent parents tend to be absent from the majority of empirical studies. Further, and perhaps more importantly, few qualitative research studies include interviews with NICU providers with insight into the treatment needs of teen parents and what may be lacking. This study conducted needs assessments with various NICU medical and mental health providers in Denver, Colorado to determine what additional resources or services may be useful for teen parents and their babies transitioning home from the hospital. A list of identified resources in Colorado for teen parents in the NICU is provided at the end of this paper (see Appendix B).
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Statement
Copyright held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Extent
41 pgs
Recommended Citation
Griglak, Stevie, "Identifying Gaps in Transitional Care for Adolescent Parents and Their Infants Leaving the NICU: A Needs Assessment" (2020). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 398.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/398