Prevalence of Anxiety and its Severity among Mothers of Critically Ill Newborns

Background: The admission of newborns to neonatal units is distressing for parents especially for mothers as the physical environment in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is considered to be a major source of anxiety for mothers of infants admitted there. Objective: To determine the prevalence of anxiety and its severity among mothers of critically ill newborns. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed at the National Institute of Child Health Karachi, Pakistan, from January to June 2024. The perinatal anxiety screening scale (PASS) was used to screen mothers with anxiety. Anxiety screening will be summarized as asymptomatic, mild-moderate, and severe for scores of 0-20, 21-41, and 42-93, respectively. Results: A total of 250 mothers were enrolled in the study with a mean age of 25 ± 3.7 years. The mean score for PSS was 20 ± 11. Out of 250 mothers, 50% were asymptomatic, 47.6% had mild to moderate anxiety and 2.4% had severe anxiety. None of the patients’ features including their age, education, parity, and pregnancy planning were found to be associated with anxiety except preterm birth with a significantly higher frequency of anxiety among mothers of preterm than those who were normal (79.4% versus 40.1%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that half of the mothers of admitted neonates were having anxiety issues. Preterm birth was seen as a crucial factor for a higher-anxiety mother. For timely addressing anxiety issues, the treating consultant and present duty staff should be educating and counseling mothers from time to time regarding hospital protocols necessary to maintain NICU care.