Developing Parental Identity in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND

Parents of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients become parents in a stressful, unexpected environment. These parents are at risk of impaired bonding with their infants and may experience worse mental health outcomes compared with parents of infants born healthy. A better understanding of how parents develop their identity as a parent in the NICU may facilitate improved parent support.

METHODS

This qualitative study analyzed semistructured interviews with parents of NICU patients to explore parental identity development in the NICU. We applied phenomenological and narrative analytic frameworks.

RESULTS

We interviewed 25 parents of 20 NICU patients. Parents described challenges inherent in becoming a parent in the NICU and ways to overcome them. Five themes emerged around how parental identity develops, including the following: (1) through performing activities, (2) by shifting expectations, (3) at transition points, (4) over time, and (5) through feeling recognized. Parents identified a difference between bonding and feeling like a parent.

CONCLUSIONS

For parents of patients in the NICU, developing their personal sense of identity as a parent is a complex process, separate from parent-infant bonding. Improved knowledge of and support for parental identity development in the NICU may improve both patient and parent outcomes.