Kangaroo father care to reduce paternal stress levels: A prospective observational before-after study

Assessment of stress in mothers of babies admitted to neonatal intensive care unit and the influence of maternal and infant characteristics on the stress levels

OBJECTIVES

The study was aimed to assess the maternal stress level due to their infant's neonatal intensive care stay and to understand the factors contributing to it.

METHOD

This prospective observational study was conducted in the level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary level public hospital in India. Mothers (N = 100) were interviewed according to the Parental Stress Score (PSS) questionnaire, during days 6-8 of their infant's admission to the NICU.

RESULTS

Maternal stress was found to be highest due to sights and sounds in the NICU followed by alteration of the parental role. Stress due to staff behaviour and communication was least stressful followed by baby look and behaviour. The stress due to sights and sounds was significantly higher than stress due to baby's look and behaviour [(2.7 ± 1.4 vs 1.98 ± 2.02), p = 0.004] and staff behaviour [(2.7 ± 1.4 vs 1.58 ± 1.31), p = 0.00] while was not significantly higher than stress due to parental role [(2.7 ± 1.4 vs 2.29 ± 1.60), p = 0.055]. The stress level due to baby's look and behaviour was not significantly higher than parental role [(1.98 ± 2.02 vs 2.29 ± 1.60), F = 1.4, p = 0.23] or staff behaviour [(1.98 ± 2.02 vs 1.58 ± 1.31), F = 2.7, p = 0.09]. The demographic characteristics such as maternal age, parity, educational stress, type of delivery, gestation, need of ventilatory support, feed intolerance and kangaroo mother care (KMC) in infants individually did not significantly affect the stress scores.

CONCLUSION

The involvement of mothers in neonatal care while the infants were in the NICU, early KMC and involvement of mothers in enteral feeding practices may alleviate her stress levels.

Skin-to-Skin Care and Spontaneous Touch by Fathers in Full-Term Infants: A Systematic Review

A series of studies have shown that mothers' early tactile behaviors have positive effects, both on full-term and preterm infants, and on mothers alike. Regarding fathers, research has focused mostly on paternal skin-to-skin care with preterm infants and has overlooked the tactile behavior effects with full-term newborns on infants' outcomes and on fathers themselves. The current systematic review considered the evidence regarding paternal tactile behaviors with full-term infants, including skin-to-skin care (SSC) and spontaneous touch (ST), during parent-infant interactions, and differentiated biophysiological, behavioral and psychological variables both in fathers and in infants. We also compared fathers' and mothers' tactile behaviors for potential differences. The few available studies suggest that paternal touch-SSC and ST-can have positive effects on fathers and infants alike. They also show that, despite some intrinsic differences, paternal touch is as pleasant as maternal touch. However, given the paucity of studies on the topic, we discuss why this field of research should be further explored.

NICU sensory experiences associated with positive outcomes: an integrative review of evidence from 2015-2020

To inform changes to the Supporting and Enhancing NICU Sensory Experiences (SENSE) program, studies investigating sensory-based interventions in the NICU with preterm infants born ≤32 weeks were identified. Studies published between October 2015 to December 2020, and with outcomes related to infant development or parent well-being, were included in this integrative review. The systematic search used databases including MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Fifty-seven articles (15 tactile, 9 auditory, 5 visual, 1 gustatory/olfactory, 5 kinesthetic, and 22 multimodal) were identified. The majority of the sensory interventions that were identified within the articles were reported in a previous integrative review (1995-2015) and already included in the SENSE program. New evidence has led to refinements of the SENSE program, notably the addition of position changes across postmenstrual age (PMA) and visual tracking starting at 34 weeks PMA.