Experiencing parental grief in the face of a hospitalized newborn. In the NICU: scoping review

This research aims to map and systematize the available scientific evidence regarding the experience of grief by parents of newborns hospitalized in the NICU, considering the emotional, psychological, and care aspects involved in this context. Neonatal hospitalization, especially when associated with clinical deterioration or death, can trigger intense suffering, feelings of guilt, helplessness, and disruption of idealized expectations of parenthood. In this scenario, the parental grief process takes on complex characteristics, influenced both by the experience of loss and by the highly technological hospital environment, which is sometimes poorly focused on the emotional dimension of the family. Therefore, this study seeks to identify how parental grief has been described in the scientific literature, what factors are associated with parental suffering in the NICU, what care and support strategies are reported, and what gaps still persist in academic production. The review will be conducted according to the methodological guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist, ensuring methodological rigor and transparency in the conduct of the study. It is expected that the results will contribute to strengthening humanized care in neonatal nursing, supporting practices that are more sensitive to the emotional needs of families and expanding the scientific discussion on parental bereavement care in the NICU context.