Backgorund: Parents after Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalization of preterm infant may develop psychopathological symptoms. The aim of the study was to determine how parental stress and psychophysical wellbeing affect posttraumatic symptoms (PTTS) in parents during the first year after NICU discharge. Moreover, this study aimed to explore any gender-specific difference in psychological distress among mothers and fathers. Methods: Prospective study design from September 2018 to September 2019. 20 pairs of parents of preterm infants admitted to a tertiary-level NICU were enrolled. Primary outcome was evaluation of PTTS in parents of preterm infants at one year after NICU discharge through Impact of Event Scale- Revised. Secondary outcomes were: impact of parental stress, psychophysical wellbeing, anxiety and depression respectively through Parental Stressor Scale: NICU, Short Form Health Survey-36(SF-36), Self-rating Anxiety Scale and Self-rating Depression Scale. Results: Mothers experienced higher rates of PTTS than fathers across the first year after NICU discharge (55% vs 20%). Maternal avoidance symptoms were associated with perception of their own infant look. Emotional aspects linked to maternal role predicted 36,8% of their hyperarousal symptoms. Maternal PTTS severity was predicted by their social functioning. Paternal mental health was associated both with maternal and paternal intrusive symptoms.. Maternal stress was associated with paternal avoidance symptoms. Paternal mental health predicted their hyperarousal symptoms (40%) and PTSD severity (52%). Conclusions: Parents who experienced NICU hospitalization of their own infant are at heightened risk to develop psychopathological symptoms. According to our initial hypothesis, investigating parental psychophysical wellbeing, through SF-36, originally provides a valuable support to detect parents at higher risk to develop posttraumatic outcomes across the first year after NICU discharge. In addition, paternal depression deserves to be taken into account since hospitalization as it could impact paternal PTSD development. Finally, these findings provide an initial evidence of gender-related patterns in PTSD development and psychological distress among mothers and fathers across the first year of their infant.

To investigate a broad array of costs and perceived financial burden (FB) faced by families of NICU graduates both during hospitalization and after discharge. Cross-sectional survey-based study design. A survey measuring socio-demographics, direct non-medical costs, indirect costs, social support and perceived FB was developed. One-hundred-twenty-two pairs of parents of NICU graduates participated in the study. Most of the families (87.7%) experienced FB due to NICU hospitalization. The median cost of visiting infant during NICU admission was 615 euros (range: 42,7320). FB correlated with cost for drugs (ρ = .271, p < .05, 95%CI:[.020, .490]), dietary supplement (ρ = .385, p < .05, CI:[.010, .665]), behavioral disorders (ρ = −.186, p < .05, 95%CI:[−.356, −.003]), language delay (ρ = .243, p < .01, CI:[−.408, −.063]) and comorbidities (ρ = −.206, p < .05, 95% CI:[−.374, −.024]). Transportation costs due to medical visits (ρ = .415, p < .01, 95% CI:[.239, .564]) and therapy sessions (ρ = .517, p < .05, CI:[.121, .771]) correlated with higher FB. Grandparents of the infant were the most frequent source of help (86.1%). Families having infants with adverse outcome experienced more hospitalizations after NICU discharge (p < .05) and higher FB (p < .01) than families with typically developing infant. Lack of government financial help was associated with higher perceived FB (CI:[1.117,29.127], p < .05).    Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that parents of NICU graduates experience high rates of FB, highlighting their sources (e.g., grandparents support) and difficulties (e.g., private therapy costs) through the lens of patient perspective. Our study promotes reflection on policies which should be adopted from the European health services that are similar to the Italian one to support NICU graduate families and reduce inequalities. What is Known:• Families of NICU graduates face several kinds of costs during hospitalization and after discharge. What is New:• NICU hospitalization is a multifaceted event that impact financial burden experienced by families.• NICU graduate families whose infant had adverse outcome and felt lack of financial help from local policy makers experience higher rates of financial burden.

Background/Objectives. This study applied the Demands-Resources-and-Individual-Effects(DRIVE)-Nurses-Model to explore and compare the experiences of nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), by investigating the effects of the interplay (main/mediating/moderating effects) of perceived stress related to dealing with death/critically ill patients (Death-and-Dying-Stressor)—which unavoidably features in the daily life of nurses working in ICU/NICU—with further potential Stressors in Nursing (Conflicts-with-Physicians, Peers, Supervisors, Patients/their families, Uncertainty-Concerning-Treatment, Inadequate-Emotional-Preparation, Discrimination, Workload), Work-Resources (Job-Control, Social-Support, Rewards), and Coping-Strategies (Problem-focused, Seek-Advice, Self-Blame, Wishful Thinking, Escape/Avoidance) on nurses’ psychological health conditions according to the working unit (ICU/NICU). Methods. Overall, 62 critical care nurses (ICU = 35; NICU = 27) completed self-report questionnaires. Main/mediating/moderating effects were tested by using Correlational-Analyses and Hayes-PROCESS-tool by working unit. Results. Nurses working in NICU reported higher Psychological Disease than nurses working in ICU. The detrimental psychological impact of Death-and-Dying-Stressor was mediated by Conflicts-with-Supervisors-Stressor among ICU nurses and by Uncertainty-Concerning-Treatment and Conflicts-with-Physicians stressors among NICU nurses. The recourse to Self-Blame and Escape/Avoidance coping strategies exacerbated the psychological risk among ICU nurses, while perceived Work-Resources (Job-Control/Social-Support) played a protective moderating role among NICU nurses. Conclusions. The application of the DRIVE-Nurses-Model to deepen the experience of nurses working in ICU/NICU could advance the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between Death-and-Dying-Stressor and nurses’ psychological health, suggesting tailored risk profiles and accounting for key protective factors, to provide nurses with the necessary resources for adjusting to their challenging and emotionally demanding work-related duties and experiences.

Background: An infant requiring admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is frequently associated with parental stress and anxiety. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) represents one of the most common disorders of gut-brain interaction in adult population. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate IBS symptoms in mothers and fathers of NICU infants during hospitalization. Secondary objective was to explore the relationship among NICU stressors, anxiety and IBS symptoms. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Eighty parents (mothers = 44, fathers = 36) of NICU hospitalized infants filled out validated questionnaires on IBS symptoms, anxiety and NICU stressors (i.e., Sights and Sounds, Infant’s Look and Behaviour, Parental Role Alterations). Student’s t test and Chi-square test were used to compare maternal and paternal IBS symptoms, prevalence and severity. The mediating effect of anxiety among NICU stressors and IBS was tested using mediation analysis. Results: Mothers scored above the clinical cut-off for IBS more frequently than fathers (59.1% vs. 44.6%). Symptoms were significantly higher in mothers as compared to fathers (p = .021). Anxiety fully mediated the effect of Sights and Sounds (β = 0.147, SE = 0.058, 95% CI: [ 0.046, 0.277]), Infant Look and Behaviour (β = 0.117, SE = 0.049, 95% CI: [0.024, 0.215]) and Parental Role Alterations (β = 0.132, SE = 0.050, 95% CI: [0.044, 0.241]) on IBS symptoms. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated for the first time that parents of NICU infants experience IBS symptoms during hospitalization and distinguished the somatic experience among mothers and fathers during their infant NICU stay. Parental experience of NICU hospitalization deserve to be studied as a potential stressful life event implying both psychological and somatic distress. Integrating tailored stress-reduction interventions sensitive to gender differences into Family Centered-Care practices is essential to reduce parental distress and support parental involvement during NICU hospitalization.

Objective: Based on the Person-Centered Approach, this study targeted parents of very preterm (VPT) infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) from Italy and Portugal. The primary aim was to classify parents by identifying latent classes of perceived risks (NICU stressors) and resources (sources of social support). Potential specificities in class membership according to Country of Belonging and sociodemographic factors were also investigated. Methods: Overall, 303 parents (92 Italian; 211 Portuguese) completed a survey including sociodemographic factors, Parental-Stressor-Scale-NICU, and Multidimensional-Scale-of-Perceived-Social-Support. Data were analyzed by multigroup latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression. Results: Three statistically valid and cross-country classes were identified and labelled as Class 1, Adjusted/Beneficial-and-Supported-System, Class 2, Stressed-and-Supported-System, and Class 3, Parental-Role-Alteration-with-Family-Supported-System. Portuguese parents were mainly grouped in Classes 1 and 2, while Italian parents were in Class 3. Men were less likely to belong to Classes 2 and 3, while older parents having another child were more likely to belong to Class 3. Conclusions: The experience of parents of VPT infants in NICUs is inherently challenging, yet identifying specific risk profiles featured by the unique nuances of stressors and sources of support while accounting for further factors (Country of Belonging, Gender, Age, Having another child) can foster the customization of interventions aimed at providing parents with the necessary resources for adjusting to this extremely demanding experience.

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common cause of congenital infection worldwide. Neurodevelopmental sequelae have been reported in children with cCMV across different developmental stages, from infancy to adolescence. However, the evidence on the involved neurodevelopmental domains and the severity of adverse outcome remains unclear and not well defined. This protocol describes a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at evaluating neurodevelopmental outcome in children with cCMV aged 18 years old or below and identifying predictors associated with adverse neurodevelopmental trajectories. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The final systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted and reported according to the PRISMA statement. Electronic searches will be performed in Embase (via Ovid), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus without publication date restrictions. Studies evaluating neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with cCMV infection, classified as symptomatic or asymptomatic at birth, assessed through standardized neurodevelopmental tests, will be included. Studies investigating predictors of neurodevelopmental impairment and additional clinical characteristics associated with cCMV infection will also be considered. Study selection and data extraction will be performed independently by two reviewers. Any disagreements will be resolved through discussion and consensus; if consensus cannot be reached, a third reviewer will be consulted for arbitration. Quantitative synthesis will include pooled effect sizes, heterogeneity assessment, subgroup analyses, and publication bias evaluation. Discussion: This research will provide a comprehensive overview of neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with symptomatic and asymptomatic cCMV infection. The findings may support the implementation of structured neurodevelopmental follow-up programmes and early targeted interventions aimed at optimizing children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD420251065006. Date of registration 03 June 2025.