Interventions to reduce parental stress and increase readiness of parents with preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit: A scoping review

To identify interventions to reduce parental stress and increase readiness of parents to care for their preterm baby. This scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Guidelines, using the following databases: Science Direct, Scopus, MEDLINE, and ProQuest. Thirteen articles were found and selected for review. The main psychological problem of parents of preterm babies includes stress, anxiety, and depression. There were three types of interventions given to overcome parental stress and improve maternal competencies but the most used interventions were music therapy and parental involvement in preterm care while in the neonatal intensive care. Parental stress, mothers’ anxiety, and depression are the main problems of parents of a preterm neonate. To address these psychological problems and increase maternal competencies, it is necessary to combine several interventions.