Megan McKee

Project title

The experiences of young parents (aged <25) of infants admitted to a neonatal unit.

Project description

Babies born prematurely, or sick, may require admission to a neonatal unit for special care. This can be distressing for parents due to the fragile health of their infant and the environment of the neonatal unit. Young parents may also face other unique challenges on the neonatal unit, such as experiences of age-related discrimination, financial resource strain, and balancing caring for their infant with education. However, there is little information about young parents’ experiences of neonatal care.

This project aims to explore the experiences of young parents of infants on neonatal units.

Research objectives:

1. To determine the number of young parents whose infant is admitted for neonatal care following birth.
2. To understand the experiences of young parents during their infant’s admission for neonatal care.
3. To understand what young parents perceive as barriers and facilitators to parenting during their infant’s admission for neonatal care.
4. To gain insight into the number of young parents who require mental health support during or shortly after their infant’s admission for neonatal care.
5. To explore current initiatives available to support young parents on neonatal units.

Start date

09/2023

Primary supervisor

Dr Lee Hudson (UCL GOS Institute of Child Health)

Secondary supervisors

Dr Katie Gallagher (UCL IfWH)

Dr Simon Russell (UCL GOS Institute of Child Health)

Based at

UCL GOS Institute of Child Health