Mental health support for parents after pediatric intensive care may modestly reduce PTSD and depressive symptoms
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Admission to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) can have lasting psychological effects on both children receiving treatment and their parents. To investigate the effects of psychosocial interventions on parents' emotional health, researchers searched five major academic databases for studies published through January 2026 and analyzed eight randomized controlled trials evaluating psychosocial interventions in parents of children admitted to the PICU. The interventions included visits to follow-up clinics, psychological screening with referral, telephone-based psychoeducation, palliative care consultations and acceptance and commitment therapy delivered via videoconference. The findings are published in the journal Intensive and Critical Care Nursing.
The results showed that these interventions were associated with small reductions in PTSD and depressive symptoms, with standardized mean differences of −0.30 and −0.13, respectively. However, no statistically significant effects were observed for anxiety symptoms. The findings should be interpreted with caution because the evidence was based on a limited number of relatively small studies. In addition, three of the eight trials were judged to be at high risk of bias, which may affect the reliability of the results.
Despite these limitations, the findings highlight the potential value of providing psychological support to families of critically ill children. The researchers suggest a stepped approach to family care in which psychoeducation is offered broadly and psychological screening helps identify parents who may need to be referred to specialized mental health services. This approach may help ensure that parents experiencing psychological distress receive appropriate support. Further large-scale studies are needed to determine which types of psychosocial interventions are most effective, which parents are most likely to benefit and when support should be provided.
More information
Yujiro Matsuishi et al., Effects of psychosocial interventions on emotional health outcomes in parents within one year after paediatric intensive care: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Intensive and Critical Care Nursing (2027). DOI: 10.1016/j.iccn.2026.104580
Key medical concepts
Psychosocial InterventionPost-Traumatic Stress DisorderDepression, EmotionalAnxiety symptoms
Clinical categories
Psychology & Mental healthPediatricsCritical care medicinePsychiatryChildren's health Provided by University of Tsukuba Who's behind this story?
Gaby Clark
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