A CLINICAL INTERVIEW FOR PARENTS OF HIGH-RISK INFANTS - CONCEPT AND APPLICATIONS

The birth and hospitalization of a preterm infant are stressful and em otionally demanding experiences for parents. The Clinical Interview fo r Parents of High-Risk Infants (CLIP) is a semistructured clinical int erview that may be used as a one-time assessment or as a cornerstone f or ongoing psychosocial work with parents. The interview assesses earl y parental adaptation and alerts the clinician to areas of concern as identified by the parents. The interview enables parents to consolidat e emotionally their experiences relative to the infant's high-risk sta tus. The CLIP has utility both for care in the intensive care nursery, and for discharge preparation. The rationale underlying the design of the CLIP is presented, the interview is described, and clinical appli cations are discussed.