Korean J Child Health Nurs.  2000 Oct;6(3):281-290.

The Effects of Kangaroo Care on Anxiety and Confidence and Gratification of Mothering Role in Mothers of Low Birth Weight Infants

• Moon YI
• Koo HY

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the effect of kangaroo care on anxiety and confidence and gratification of mothering role in mothers of low birth weight infants. The subjects were 30 mothers of low birth weight infants, sixteen for the kangaroo care group and fourteen for the control group, whose infants hospitalized in two neonatal intensive care unit at two university-affiliated hospital. The kangaroo care was applied 9 times during the twenty six days with 40 minutes for each session. The kangaroo care provides the skin-to-skin contact during which a low birth weight infant wearing a diaper and a hat is placed on its mother's chest. The questionnaire, state anxiety was completed before beginning the first intervention. The questionnaire, state anxiety and confidence and gratification of mothering role were completed at 2 weeks after discharge. The data were analyzed by a SPSS program. The results were as follows : 1. There were no significant differences in the state anxiety between the kangaroo care and the control group before beginning the first intervention. The state anxiety was significantly lower in kangaroo care group than in control group. 2.The confidence of mothering role was significantly higher in kangaroo care group than in control group at 2 weeks after discharge. 3.The gratification of mothering role was significantly higher in kangaroo care group than in control group at 2 weeks after discharge. 4. In mothers of low birth weight infants, the state anxiety was negatively correlated to the confidence of mothering role and the gratification of mothering role at 2 weeks after discharge. And the confidence of mothering role in mothers of low birth weight infants was positively correlated to the gratification of mothering role at 2 weeks after discharge. These results suggest that kangaroo care is an effective nursing intervention for mothers of low birth weight infants in reducing the state anxiety, improving the confidence and gratification of mothering role.

MeSH Terms

Anxiety*
Humans
Infant*
Infant, Low Birth Weight*
Infant, Newborn
Intensive Care, Neonatal
Macropodidae*
Mothers*
Nursing
Thorax
Child Health
Surveys and Questionnaires