# Efficacy of Family Health Conversations on Mental Health, Family Wellbeing, and Family Functioning for Parents of Infants Requiring Mechanical Respiratory Support During Neonatal Intensive Care

## TL;DR

This study examined if family health conversations helped parents of infants in NICU with mental health and family functioning, but found no significant differences between groups.

## Contribution

The study introduces the Family Health Conversation model as a potential support tool for NICU parents.

## Key findings

- The intervention showed trends toward improved mental health and family wellbeing but was not statistically significant.
- Mental health symptoms decreased over time regardless of the intervention.
- Family wellbeing and functioning remained stable across both groups.

## Abstract

Having an infant requiring care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is challenging for parents. The aim was to investigate the effects of the Family Health Conversation (FamHC) model on self-reported mental health, family wellbeing, and family functioning in parents of infants requiring mechanical respiratory support during NICU care. This interventional study included 147 parents (72, intervention group; 75, control group). All participants received a study-specific questionnaire at three time points. The intervention trended toward positive effects on mental health, family wellbeing, and family functioning. However, all measurements showed considerable variation, and the estimated effects were not statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Regardless of the intervention, mental health symptoms decreased over time, whereas family wellbeing and functioning remained stable. To conclude, although the intervention trended favorable for all outcomes, no significant differences were observed between groups. Potential effects might be better identified using qualitative methodology or self-reporting measures in a larger sample.