Lambiase Carmine Vincenzo, Guiso Michela, Pesce Marcella, Vendemmia Maria, Capasso Letizia, Sarnelli Giovanni, Raimondi Francesco
Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Via Porta di Massa 1, Naples, 80133, Italy.
Division of Neonatology, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Sergio Pansini 5, Naples, 80131, Italy.
Ital J Pediatr. 2025 Sep 29;51(1):277. doi: 10.1186/s13052-025-02121-5.
An infant requiring admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is frequently associated with parental stress and anxiety. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) represents one of the most common disorders of gut-brain interaction in adult population. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate IBS symptoms in mothers and fathers of NICU infants during hospitalization. Secondary objective was to explore the relationship among NICU stressors, anxiety and IBS symptoms.
Cross-sectional study. Eighty parents (mothers = 44, fathers = 36) of NICU hospitalized infants filled out validated questionnaires on IBS symptoms, anxiety and NICU stressors (i.e., Sights and Sounds, Infant's Look and Behaviour, Parental Role Alterations). Student's t test and Chi-square test were used to compare maternal and paternal IBS symptoms, prevalence and severity. The mediating effect of anxiety among NICU stressors and IBS was tested using mediation analysis.
Mothers scored above the clinical cut-off for IBS more frequently than fathers (59.1% vs. 44.6%). Symptoms were significantly higher in mothers as compared to fathers (p = .021). Anxiety fully mediated the effect of Sights and Sounds (β = 0.147, SE = 0.058, 95% CI: [ 0.046, 0.277]), Infant Look and Behaviour (β = 0.117, SE = 0.049, 95% CI: [0.024, 0.215]) and Parental Role Alterations (β = 0.132, SE = 0.050, 95% CI: [0.044, 0.241]) on IBS symptoms.
Our study demonstrated for the first time that parents of NICU infants experience IBS symptoms during hospitalization and distinguished the somatic experience among mothers and fathers during their infant NICU stay. Parental experience of NICU hospitalization deserve to be studied as a potential stressful life event implying both psychological and somatic distress. Integrating tailored stress-reduction interventions sensitive to gender differences into Family Centered-Care practices is essential to reduce parental distress and support parental involvement during NICU hospitalization.
需要入住新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）的婴儿常常会使父母产生压力和焦虑。肠易激综合征（IBS）是成人中最常见的肠-脑互动障碍之一。本研究的主要目的是评估NICU住院婴儿的父母在住院期间的IBS症状。次要目的是探讨NICU应激源、焦虑与IBS症状之间的关系。
横断面研究。80名NICU住院婴儿的父母（母亲 = 44名，父亲 = 36名）填写了关于IBS症状、焦虑和NICU应激源（即视觉和声音、婴儿的外观和行为、父母角色改变）的有效问卷。采用学生t检验和卡方检验比较母亲和父亲的IBS症状、患病率和严重程度。使用中介分析检验焦虑在NICU应激源和IBS之间的中介作用。
母亲IBS症状得分高于临床临界值的频率高于父亲（59.1% 对 44.6%）。母亲的症状明显高于父亲（p = ．021）。焦虑完全中介了视觉和声音（β = 0.147，SE = 0.058，95% CI：[0.046，0.277]）、婴儿外观和行为（β = 0.117，SE = 0.049，95% CI：[0.024，0.215]）以及父母角色改变（β = 0.132，SE = 0.050，95% CI：[0.044，0.241]）对IBS症状的影响。
我们的研究首次表明，NICU住院婴儿的父母在住院期间会出现IBS症状，并区分了母亲和父亲在婴儿NICU住院期间的躯体体验。NICU住院的父母经历值得作为一种潜在的应激性生活事件进行研究，这意味着心理和躯体痛苦。将对性别差异敏感的量身定制的减压干预措施纳入以家庭为中心的护理实践对于减轻父母的痛苦和支持父母在NICU住院期间的参与至关重要。
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