Parental Anxiety Trajectories 2 Years After NICU Discharge.

Abstract

To assess the prevalence, potential perinatal predictors, and longitudinal trajectory of parental anxiety in mothers and fathers of infants up to 24 months corrected age. In this prospective cohort study, 298 mothers and 234 fathers of 315 infants (gestational age < 30 weeks and/or birth weight < 1000 g) completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) at 6, 12, and 24 months corrected age. Multilevel linear modeling estimated mean anxiety scores over time, and regression analyses examined associations with perinatal and neonatal risk factors. At 6 months, 69 of 273 mothers (25.3%) and 33 of 195 fathers (16.9%) reported clinically significant anxiety (STAI-state ≥ 40), with mothers more frequently affected (P = .031). Maternal anxiety prevalence declined to 22.2% (n = 47/212) at 12 months and 20.0% (n = 35/175) at 24 months, whereas paternal anxiety prevalence remained stable at 15.0% (n = 23/153) and 17.6% (n = 23/131). Differences between parents were not significant afterward. No consistent associations were found with gestational age, birth weight, neonatal morbidities, or other perinatal risk factors. Multilevel modeling showed that mothers' mean anxiety scores decreased from 35.07 at 6 months to 33.45 at 12 months (-1.62, P = .015) and 32.72 at 24 months (overall -2.35, P = .001). Fathers scored 2.74 points lower than mothers at 6 months (P < .001) and showed no significant changes over time. A substantial proportion of parents of neonatal intensive care unit-treated infants, particularly mothers, experience elevated anxiety symptoms beyond discharge. These findings emphasize the importance of systematic, long-term mental health screening and support for both parents independent of their infant's medical complexity.