Abstract
Objective: The main aim of this study was to describe and conduct a bibliometric analysis of the state of research on stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Background: Women affected by premature births are particularly exposed to mental health difficulties in the postpartum period. The desire to comprehend and the growing interest in research on stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care have led to a substantial rise in the number of documents in this field over the last years. Thus, it makes it vital to regularly review the state of knowledge on this phenomenon in order to identify progress and constraints, to stimulate reflection, and to encourage progress in future research. Method: This study examined 366 articles published in the Scopus database (1976–2020). Keyword analysis was also used to identify hot research trends to be developed in future studies. This study complies with the PRISMA-Scr guidelines for quality improvement research in the EQUATOR network. Results: Our results reveal that research in this field is in a period of high production and allows this flourishing body of work to be organized into different periods, highlighting the most important themes. In such a way, our research enriches the lively field by presenting a comprehensive understanding of the field. Discussion: The key contribution of this study is the development of a conceptual map of research on stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report [1], almost 15 million children are born prematurely each year, which is one-tenth of all newborns, and the statistics for these children vary from 5% to 18% in different countries
Parents of preterm infants who are admitted at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience increased stress because they are rarely prepared for the shock, stress, and anxiety when their child needs critical care in a NICU [2–5]
The literature has paid attention to the hospitalization preterm infants in NICUs, that aspects, such units as parental emotional during the child’s hospital and psychological the characteristics of these already influencedistress the psychological wellbeing of the stay in the NICU and the experience of negative feelings, stress, and traumatic symptoms, mothers, the child–parent relation, and the behavior of the newborn [53]
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report [1], almost 15 million children are born prematurely each year, which is one-tenth of all newborns, and the statistics for these children vary from 5% to 18% in different countries. Parents of preterm infants who are admitted at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience increased stress because they are rarely prepared for the shock, stress, and anxiety when their child needs critical care in a NICU [2–5]. Children born prematurely (before 37 completed weeks of gestation) have a higher risk of diseases than children born on due date. Premature infants are at increased risk of several health and developmental problems, and they have significant emotional and economic costs for families and significant consequences for public services
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