Korean J Child Health Nurs.  2002 Jan;8(1):97-109.

Study on the Perceived Stress Degree and Content of Mother of High-Risk Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

• Sung MH

Abstract

This study was conducted to understand the degree and contents of stress which the mothers of high-risk infants can be experienced from the hospitalization of ICU for their new borns, and thus to offer the basic program to he nursing intervention program for these. Subjects were the 171 mother of hospitalized newborn in NICU of 1 University Hospital in Busan from June, 20, 2001 to September, 15, 2001, who agreed to take part in this study. The instruments used in this study were Parental Stressor Scale:NICU(PSS:NICU) developed by Miles et al. The questionnaire has 4 dimensions and 45 items ; sight and sounds of NICU(5 items), babies' appearance and behavior nursing intervention(19 items), parental role alteration and relationship with their baby(10 items), health team communication(11 items). The data was analysed as average, frequency, Standard Deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient by use of SPSS/PC+. The results of this study are as follows ; 1. The total perceived stress level score of mothers of high-risk infants was slightly high(3.44 +/- 0.71). The highest scored dimension was 'appearance and behavior of the baby'(4.06 +/- 0.80), and next were 'relationship with their baby and parental role change'(3.55 +/- 0.98), 'sight and sounds of NICU'(3.22 +/- 1.01), 'communication with health team'(2.93 +/- 0.91). 2. The total perceived stress level score was significantly correlated with birth weight (F=2.35, p < .05). 3. In sight and sounds of NICU, the perceived stress level score was significantly correlated with nursing in the incubator(t=2.28, p < .05) and birth weight(t=2.26, p < .05). In summary, information about physical environment of NICU, birth weight and nursing in the incubator must be included in nursing intervention program of mother's of high-risk infants in reducing the patents stress level. And, it is suggested that there need to find the coping mechanism of mother of high-risk infants.

MeSH Terms

Birth Weight
Busan
Hospitalization
Humans
Incubators
Infant*
Infant, Newborn
Intensive Care, Neonatal*
Mothers*
Nursing
Parents
Parturition
Child Health
Surveys and Questionnaires