Echoes of the NICU: Understanding Parental Emotional Burden and Quality of Life Through Inductive Thematic Analysis

Abstract Background: Admission of a neonate to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a sudden, unanticipated life event that disrupts parents' psychological wellbeing and quality of life. While this burden is increasingly quantified, comparatively little is known, particularly in Nigerian tertiary-hospital settings, about how parents themselves make sense of the experience. Aim: This report presents the qualitative strand of a convergent mixed-methods study exploring the psychological experience and quality of life of parents of neonates admitted to the NICU at Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) and LAUTECH Teaching Hospital. Methods: Sixteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews (nine mothers, seven fathers) were conducted between April and July 2026 and analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase inductive thematic analysis, with attention to rigour, reflexivity, and ethical safeguarding. Findings: Eight interrelated themes were developed: emotional and psychological turmoil; disruption of parental role and identity; financial strain and economic vulnerability; strain on marital and family relationships; the physical environment as a site of additional suffering; institutional and staff interactions; coping resources and sources of strength; and parents' own recommendations. Conclusion: Parental distress was consistently produced at the intersection of emotional, relational, financial, and institutional pressures rather than by any single factor in isolation. These findings are discussed in relation to transactional stress-coping theory, transitions theory, and comparable qualitative literature from Nigeria and elsewhere, with direct implications for family-centred neonatal care policy in resource-constrained settings.