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NICU Dads

Co-design of a program supporting paternal involvement in preterm care.

Investigators

Chief investigators

Dr Vincent Mancini; Dr Amy Finlay-Jones; Prof Tobias Strunk; A/Prof Francis Mitrou; Dr Lynne Millar; Prof Peter McEvoy; A/Prof Trevor Mazzucchelli; Prof Bruce Robinson.

Associate Investigators

Dr Jasleen Chhabra; Dr Gayatri Jape; Prof Mary Sharp; Prof Rosanna Rooney; Dr Thomas Nevill.

Project description

NICU Dads brings together experts spanning the domains of mental health, fatherhood, masculinities, and neonatal care. The project aims to improve the wellbeing and involvement of Western Australian fathers in the NICU. This will be achieved through the development, implementation and evaluation of:

  1. healthcare provider training to build their capacity to support fathers in the NICU;
    and
  2. in-person workshops and online resources for fathers to empower them to support their baby and partner in the NICU and support their own mental health and wellbeing.

These components will be co-designed with families, healthcare providers and community organisations, and will be piloted in the NICU at Perth Children’s Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital. This project will fill an important gap in existing parental support services for NICU families and will harness the untapped potential of fathers to support their babies and families in the NICU, and beyond.

Funding

Healthway’s Health Promotion Intervention Research Grant

Project outputs

Journal articles

V.O. Mancini (2023) 'The role of fathers in supporting the development of their NICU infant', Journal of Neonatal Nursing, 29(5):714-719

Media articles

V.O. Mancini (2023) 'What can a father do with a baby in the NICU?', Infant Mental Health Research Alliance

Partner agencies