Effect of counselling on stress level of parents of neonates admitted in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary care hospital.

Abstract

Objective: To check the stress level and the effect of counseling on stress level among parents of neonates admitted in NICU. Study Design: Interventional Study. Setting: University of Child Health Sciences, Children’s Hospital Lahore, A Tertiary Care Pediatric Hospital. Period: December 2024 to May 2025. Methods: Total 100 parents participated through purposive sampling according to specific participant requirements. The research used questionnaire derived from the Parental Stressor Scale: NICU, to measure stress levels in two phases: before and after counseling. The paired t-tests was used for statistical analysis to measure parent stress baseline levels against post-counseling measurements. Results: Prior to counseling, the overall stress score was 30.03 ± 1.71, which significantly reduced to 11.24 ± 2.47 after counseling (p < 0.001). All subdomains of stress, including NICU environment, baby's appearance, parent-child relationship, and staff attitude, showed statistically significant reductions in stress levels post-counseling. Conclusion: Counseling significantly reduces parental stress levels in NICU settings. These findings highlight the need for integrating structured counseling programs into NICU care to support parents emotionally and psychologically.