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OpenTrials
Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT05988996

Peer Support Groups for 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.

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Key information

Conditions

Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders Stress

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Oregon Health & Science University

Portland, Oregon, 97239, United States

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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)

Treatment and study plan

Participant guided peer support gathering

Behavioral

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. Parental stress

    Time frame: 1 week prior to 2 days after peer group session

    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.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Parental sense of belonging

    Time frame: 2 days after peer group session

    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.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Oregon Health and Science University

Other

Collaborators

  • Legacy Health System
  • Providence Health & Services

Registry information

Official study title

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

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Aug 14, 2023
Registry last updated
Jul 31, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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