The Development of PATH, a Program to Support NICU Parent Mental Health Through the Transition From Hospital to Home

The Development of PATH, a Program to Support NICU Parent Mental Health Through the Transition From Hospital to Home

The objective of this study is to develop and pilot test a telehealth-based mental health screening and engagement program that supports parents as their infants transition home from the NICU. The program will use a stepped-care approach to screen parents for depression, anxiety, and PTSD; provide a brief behavioral intervention to those who screen as having at least a low risk of these conditions; and provide a warm hand-off to community mental health services for those at medium to high risk.

Inclusion Criteria:

• NICU parents: Participants will be parents of currently hospitalized preterm infants from either the OHSU NICU or the UCH NICU. We will include parents of live preterm infants who have been admitted in the NICU for at least 2 weeks. Parents must speak English or Spanish. Parents can be of any age.
• NICU stakeholders: Participants will be stakeholders from either the OHSU NICU or the UCH NICU. Stakeholders will be social workers, mental health providers responsible for providing more intensive mental health support for NICU parents, nurses, neonatologists, and hospital administrators.