The experience of premature birth for fathers: the application of the Clinical Interview for Parents of High-Risk Infants (CLIP) to an Italian sample.
OBJECTIVE
The study explored fathers' experience of premature birth during the hospitalization of their infants, analyzing levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms as compared with mothers. Moreover the Italian version of the Clinical Interview for Parents of High-Risk Infant (CLIP) was tested through confirmatory factor analysis.


METHODS
Couples of parents (N = 64) of preterm infants (gestational age < 37 weeks) were administered a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the CLIP after the admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).


RESULTS
Significant levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and high percentages of subjects above the corresponding risk thresholds were found among fathers and mothers with higher scores among the latters. Confirmatory factor analysis of the CLIP showed an adequate structure, with better fit for mothers than for fathers.


CONCLUSIONS
RESULTS highlighted the importance for nurses and clinicians working in the NICU to consider not only the maternal difficulties but also the paternal ones, even if these are often more hidden and silent. In addition the CLIP may be considered an useful interview for research and clinical purposes to be used with parents of high-risk infants.
Laboratory of Dynamic Psychology, Department of Psychological Sciences, Health and Territory, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara Chieti, Italy.
Carla
C
Candelori
Laboratory of Dynamic Psychology, Department of Psychological Sciences, Health and Territory, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara Chieti, Italy.
Carmen
C
Trumello
Laboratory of Dynamic Psychology, Department of Psychological Sciences, Health and Territory, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara Chieti, Italy.
Alessandra
A
Babore
Infant Mental Health Unit, Geha Mental Health Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv, Israel.
Miri
M
Keren
Laboratory of Psychometrics, Department of Psychological Sciences, Health and Territory, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara Chieti, Italy.
Roberta
R
Romanelli
anxiety; depressive symptoms; fathers; neonatal intensive care unit; prematurity