Developing PATH A Telehealth Program to Support Parents Mental Health During the Transition Home from the NICU

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are developing and testing a telehealth-based program called PATH to support the mental health of parents as their infants leave the neonatal intensive care unit NICU and transition home. This program focuses on screening parents for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD using a stepped-care approach. Its goal is to offer brief behavioral interventions for those at low risk and connect those at medium to high risk with community mental health services. The study compares two groups one receiving the PATH intervention, which includes anticipatory guidance, brief behavioral treatment, or referral to community mental health providers, and a control group receiving usual care. Participants are randomized to either group. The program is delivered via telehealth during the transition period from hospital to home. Parents will be assessed using several scales measuring mental health self-efficacy, stigma related to mental illness, and parenting confidence at approximately two weeks before discharge, two weeks after discharge, and six weeks after discharge. The study monitors how well parents manage their mental health and parenting during this critical period. The total participation duration includes these key assessments in the weeks surrounding infant discharge from the NICU.

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