Mental health in parents of very preterm infants at 12 months: Influential variables and profiles

Abstract Objective The goal was to explore the influence of clinical and developmental variables of the infant on the mental health of parents at12 months corrected age of very preterm babies. Background There is no agreement on whether all parents of preterm infants need the same specialized attention in the neonatal intensive care unit and during their first years. Method The sample consisted of 107 couples. Stress, depression, resilience, and two types of monitoring were evaluated in both parents and in child development. We tested the influence of the infants' development on the parents' mental health using neural networks, and we explored different family profiles with cluster analysis. Results The most influential variable for parents' mental health was the Developmental Index. Two family profiles were obtained, one of which presented greater risk, regardless of the clinical variables at birth. Conclusions At 12 months after the child's birth, the mental health of parents of very preterm infants was associated with the child's development and, to a lesser extent, with clinical variables upon birth. Family profiles were differentiated by the parents' mental health. Implications In order to be able to intervene early, it would be beneficial to extend the monitoring of not only the baby's development but also the parents' mental health.