Santé psychologique et habiletés parentales pendant la période périnatalection du système nerveux visuel


Nancy Feeley

Université McGill


Domaine : santé de la mère, des enfants et des adolescents

Programme chercheurs-boursiers - Senior

Concours 2014-2015

My research examines the psychological health and parenting of mothers and fathers in the first few years after having a baby. Psychological health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress can have consequences not only for the parents who experience these problems, but also for other family members and the baby. Parents' psychological health influences their ability to parent, as well as their baby's development. My research has described parents' psychological health and adjustment, identified what factors are associated with psychological health, and examined how parents' psychological health affects their parenting. Much of my work has been concerned with the parents of babies who are born prematurely and require hospitalization in neonatal intensive care.

Currently, I am investigating post-traumatic stress symptoms in mothers in the first six months after giving birth to identify which mothers might be more likely to experience these symptoms. I plan to conduct a study to examine how the architectural design of a neonatal intensive care unit affects parents and their babies, so that we can understand what kind of design is best for parents' psychological health and for their babies' health and development. I will also develop a program to help mothers of premature babies develop confidence in their ability to breastfeed their baby, and determine whether mothers find the program meets their needs and whether it is possible to provide this program to them while their baby is in hospital.

Lastly, I will conduct a synthesis of the findings of studies of fathers' experience in the neonatal care unit. This summary will help nurses provide the best care to fathers while their baby is in hospital.