While Schmücker et al’s9 findings suggest
a reduction of maternal anxiety over time,
as supported by Carter et al14,Wigert et al8
suggest that the experience of having a
child cared for in NICU (FIGURE 1), still
affects the mother even six years after the
birth of the child. This discrepancy may
demonstrate the individualism of parental
responses to stress, and the importance of
assessing the family according to their
individual needs. The methods used to
promote this process have been researched,
and are described below.