Article ; Online: Context of a neonatal death affects parental perception of end-of-life care, anxiety and depression in the first year of bereavement.
2023 Volume 22, Issue 1, Page(s) 58
Abstract: Background: Neonatal death is often preceded by end-of-life medical decisions. This study aimed to determine whether the context of death - after a decision of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment (WWLST) or despite maximum care - was ... ...
| Abstract | Background: Neonatal death is often preceded by end-of-life medical decisions. This study aimed to determine whether the context of death - after a decision of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment (WWLST) or despite maximum care - was associated with subsequent risk of parental anxiety or depression. The secondary objective was to assess parents' perceptions of end-of-life care according to death context. Methods: Prospective single center observational study of all neonatal deaths in a neonatal intensive care unit over a 5-year period. Data were collected during hospitalization and from face-to-face interviews with parents 3 months after the infant's death. Anxiety and depression were assessed using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires, completed by parents 5 and 15 months after death. Results: Of 179 deaths, 115 (64%) occurred after the WWLST decision and 64 (36%) despite maximum care. Parental satisfaction with newborn care and received support by professionals and relatives was higher in the first condition. Sixty-one percent of parents (109/179) attended the 3-month interview, with the distribution between groups very close to that of hospitalization. The completion rates of the HADS questionnaires by the parents who attended the 3-month interview were 75% (82/109) at 5 months and 65% (71/109) at 15 months. HADS scores at 5 months were consistent with anxiety in at least one parent in 73% (60/82) of cases and with depression in 50% (41/82). At 15 months, these rates were, respectively, 63% (45/71) and 28% (20/71). Risk of depression at 5 months was lower after a WWLST decision (OR 0.35 [0.14, 0.88], p = 0.02). Explicit parental agreement with the WWLST decision had an equivocal impact on the risk of anxiety at 5 months, being higher when expressed during hospitalization, but not at the 3-month interview. Conclusions: Context of death has a significant impact on the emotional experience of parents after neonatal loss, which underlines the importance of systematic follow-up conversations with bereaved parents. |
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| MeSH term(s) | Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Female ; Humans ; Perinatal Death ; Depression ; Prospective Studies ; Bereavement ; Terminal Care/psychology ; Parents/psychology ; Anxiety ; Perception |
| Language | English |
| Publishing date | 2023-05-13 |
| Publishing country | England |
| Document type | Observational Study ; Journal Article |
| ZDB-ID | 2091556-1 |
| ISSN | 1472-684X ; 1472-684X |
| ISSN (online) | 1472-684X |
| ISSN | 1472-684X |
| DOI | 10.1186/s12904-023-01183-8 |
| Database | MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE |
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