Child Health Nurs Res.  2016 Jul;22(3):190-198. 10.4094/chnr.2016.22.3.190.

Perceived Parental Stress and Nursing Support of Fathers with High Risk Infants

• Han SY
• Chae SM

• KMID: 2345690
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2016.22.3.190

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to examine the paternal stress and nursing support as perceived by fathers of high risk infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU).
METHODS
The study participants included 88 fathers of high risk infants in NICUs. Their parental stress and nursing support were measured using a self-report questionnaire.
RESULTS
The parental stress level of the fathers was 3.57 of a possible 5. Among the parental stress items, 'Relationship with infant and parental role' had the highest scores. The perceived nursing support level was a relatively high, 3.90 on a 5-point scale. The lowest score was for the item 'showed concern about my well-being.' The parental stress was lower in fathers with low income, higher in fathers in nuclear families and when the infants' condition was serious.
CONCLUSION
The findings indicate that fathers of high risk infants experience intense parental stress. Thus when designing care to provide support for these fathers and their infants, it is necessary to encourage the fathers' engagement, provide information on how to respond to the baby, and include supportive care to the fathers.

Keyword

Infant; Fathers; Stress; Nursing support; Neonatal intensive care unit

MeSH Terms

Fathers*
Humans
Infant*
Infant, Newborn
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
Nuclear Family
Nursing*
Parents*