Question

The following questions are from the published research article: Segre, L. et al. (2014). Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Mothers of Newborns Hospitalized on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Nursing Research, 63(5), 320-332.

In the overall results of this study (the clinical significance), what did the researchers find that explained 37% of the variance in negative emotionality n NICU mothers? If you were a nurse working in NICU, how could this help guide your practice?

Answer 1

All factors in above model together accounted for 37% of the variance in negative emotionality in NICU mothers

Notwithstanding methodological limitations, the significant risk factors identified in this study—history of perinatal depression, greater infant prematurity and infant health complications—are not only clinically intuitive, they explained 37% of the variance in negative emotionality in NICU mothers.

In line with the principles of family-centered care (Gooding et al., 2011), NICU nurses are ideally situated to identify emotionally at-risk NICU mothers (Beck, 2003). The substantial association of negative emotionality to the three identified risk factors empirically bolsters the idea that they should be used early to identify NICU mothers with clinically significant symptoms. At a minimum level of screening, women with these risk factors should be further assessed.

In line with the conclusion that “depression is not necessarily the first or most important symptom of mothers suffering from postpartum depression,” (C. T. Beck & Indman, 2005, p. 570), the results support a multidimensional conceptualization of aversive emotional states that is consistent with the common-factor model. Translated into clinical practice, this result suggests screening should assess symptoms of both depression and anxiety disorders.