Peer Support Groups for Families With an Infant in the NICU

Peer Support for Black and Latino Families With an Infant in the NICU

The goal of this observational study is to learn the impact of race, ethnicity, and language matched peer support groups on parental stress, anxiety, and sense of belonging for families who have or have had an infant hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The main questions aim to answer: Do race, ethnicity, and language matched peer support groups decrease parental stress and anxiety and improve sense of belonging of parents while their baby is hospitalized in the NICU? And, are there any changes that should be made to the format of the peer support group sessions?

Participants will be invited to attend a peer support group that is matched for race, ethnicity, and language. Participants will have the option of filling out a survey on stress, anxiety, and sense of belonging before and after the peer group session. Additionally, participants will have the option of filling out a satisfaction survey after the peer group session.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Stress; Anxiety
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Participant guided peer support gathering

Detailed Description

The study will be observational research wherein participants who want to attend a peer support group, will have the option of filling out surveys before and after peer support group attendance. Surveys are voluntary and the only way of assessing the behavioral outcome (impact on parental stress, anxiety, and sense of belonging); families can attend the peer support groups even if the family member does not want to participate in the survey.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Oregon
    • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97239
      • Oregon Health & Science University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Study participants will be selected from the population of people who are attending the peer support group sessions.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Parental or guardian self-identified as Black, African American, African, Latino, Hispanic, Chicano
• Parent or guardian of infant that was or is admitted to Oregon Health & Science University, Randall Children's Hospital, or Providence Health NICU in Portland, OR

Exclusion Criteria:

• Parent or guardian age less than 18 years old
• Preferred language other than English or Spanish (including if preferred communication is sign language)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

3

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
African American and Black; One cohort includes families that identify as Black, African American, or African attending the racially concordant peer group sessions.	Behavioral: Participant guided peer support gathering; This prospective observational cohort study will be assessing parental stress, anxiety, and sense of belonging before and after participant attendance at the culturally concordant peer group session.
Latino English Preferred; One cohort includes families that identify as Latino, Hispanic, Chicano and language preference of English attending the ethnically concordant peer group sessions.	Behavioral: Participant guided peer support gathering; This prospective observational cohort study will be assessing parental stress, anxiety, and sense of belonging before and after participant attendance at the culturally concordant peer group session.
Latino Spanish preferred; One cohort includes families that identify as Latino, Hispanic, Chicano and language preference of Spanish attending the ethnically and linguistically concordant peer group sessions.	Behavioral: Participant guided peer support gathering; This prospective observational cohort study will be assessing parental stress, anxiety, and sense of belonging before and after participant attendance at the culturally concordant peer group session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parental stress	The degree of parental stress in the NICU will be assessed using the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit validated tool. The minimum and maximum values are 26 and 130 respectively, with higher scores indicating higher parental stress.	1 week prior to 2 days after peer group session

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parental sense of belonging	Sense of belonging will be assessed with three non-validated questions about community and within NICU sense of belonging questions. The scoring system is a 5-point Likert scale with an option for "Not Applicable". The minimum and maximum score are 3 and 15 respectively, with higher scores indicating greater sense of belonging.	2 days after peer group session

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Oregon Health and Science University
• Collaborators: Providence Health & Services; Legacy Health System
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Devlynne S Ondusko, MD, Oregon Health and Science University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 3, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 3, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 14, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 31, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 29, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: NICU; Parental anxiety; Parental stress; Peer support
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00025682

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: IPD will only be shared with institutionally IRB approved study team members for data analysis. All other IPD will only be shared in publication in a de-identified, aggregated manner.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No