Aim To explore the complexities of nurses’ experiences caring for newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Methodology An integrative review guided by Whittemore and Knafl's framework was conducted in June 2025. CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses were searched, alongside hand-searching of reference lists from included studies. Results Eighteen articles published between 2016 and 2025 were included. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's approach. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) nursing complexities in dyad care, (2) setting the stage for NAS care, and (3) the emotional terrain of NAS care. Across studies, nurses described balancing the physiological and socioemotional needs of newborns while navigating inconsistent parental involvement, variable training, and competing clinical demands. Conclusion Caring for newborns with NAS is a complex and relationally intensive experience shaped by both clinical demands and structural constraints. Nurses provide substantial, often invisible socioemotional labour to support newborns and their families; however, this work is insufficiently recognized within healthcare systems that prioritize physiological acuity. Greater acknowledgment of relational care and integration of socioemotional workload into staffing models are essential to supporting nurses and improving family-centered NAS care.
Friesen et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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