Effects of a Community-based Follow-up Program for Parents with Premature Infants on Parenting Stress, Parenting Efficacy, and Coping

Purpose

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a community-based follow-up program on parenting stress, parenting efficacy, and coping among parents with premature infants.

Methods

A non-equivalent control group pre-post quasi-experimental design was used. This program consisted of structured home visits and self-help group meetings for 6 months. The experimental group (n=29) received visits by an experienced neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse and the control group (n=27) was visited by a visiting nurse. Data were analyzed using the x² test, t-test, and analysis of covariance.

Results

Parents' coping behavior significantly differed in the experimental group compared to the control group (t=3.14, p=.003). In particular, coping subscale I, for maintaining the family situation (t=2.63, p=.011), and subscale III, for understanding the infant's medical situation (t=4.30, p<.001), showed significant differences in the experimental group. There were no significant between-group differences in parenting stress or parenting efficacy.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that home visits by an experienced NICU nurse provided through a community-based follow-up program were an effective intervention to improve coping behavior among parents with premature infants.

Experiences of Mothers' Attachment in a Follow-Up Program Using Early Intervention for Low-Birth-Weight Infants

PURPOSE

Mothers who give birth prematurely experience parenting stress after their babies are discharged and find it difficult to emotionally bond with them. Forming an emotional bond with a baby promotes the baby's growth and development, helps the mother cope with parenting stress after discharge, and is important for maintaining family functioning. This study aimed to identify the attachment experiences of mothers with low-birth-weight infants (LBWIs) in a follow-up program using early intervention.

METHODS

A phenomenological perspective was used for this qualitative research. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with twelve mothers who participated in a follow-up program using early intervention for mothers with LBWIs from September 2017 to December 2017. Colaizzi's method was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The experience of mothers' attachment was investigated on the basis of three categories: 'beginning of changes in parenting methods,' 'forming an intimate mother-child bond,' and 'concerns and expectation about the child's development.'

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the follow-up program using an early intervention designed to increase mothers' confidence in their parenting skills can promote mother' attachment and the quality of life of families with LBWIs.