Publication Type: Individual Poster
Abstract: Background:
There is widespread recognition that the birth of very-low-birthweight infant (VLBW) is a stressful event for mothers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among various aspects of maternal stress early in the NICU hospitalization, and to explore what characteristics of mothers and infants are related to stress.
Methods:
A pilot study is under-way to assess the feasibility of a program to teach mothers how to interact sensitively with their infant. Pre-intervention and one month after birth, mothers complete questionnaires assessing their anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), stress related to the NICU environment (Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), posttraumatic stress symptoms (Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire), and beliefs about parenting confidence in the NICU (NICU Parental Beliefs Scale). To-date, 22 mothers of infants born < 1500 grams have participated. Correlational analysis was used to examine associations among maternal stress variables, and to determine correlates of stress.
Results:
Mothers were 21 – 42 years old (M = 31.5, SD = 5.2), most were partnered (21/22) and first-time mothers (18/22). Higher anxiety was related to greater posttraumatic stress symptoms (r = .56, p =.01). Maternal anxiety was not related to infant variables (i.e., birthweight, gestational age, illness severity, NICU stay days or days on oxygen), nor to any maternal variables (i.e., age, education, duration of partner relationship, stressful life events). Greater NICU stress was related to greater posttraumatic stress symptoms (r = .46, p = .04) and less confident beliefs about parenting (r = -.48, p = .03). NICU stress was not related to any maternal variables, but was related to oxygen days. The longer the infant’s oxygen therapy, the higher mother’s anxiety (r = .70, p = .005). Mothers’ posttraumatic stress symptoms was not significantly related to any infant variables. However, posttraumatic stress symptoms was related to maternal age. The older the mother, the fewer symptoms reported (r = -.44, p = .04). 13 of 21 (62%) mothers scored beyond the cut-off point on the measure of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Mothers who scored above had been partnered fewer years (4.4 vs. 9.6) compared to mothers who scored below.
Conclusions:
A large number of women experience posttraumatic stress symptoms immediately following the birth of a VLBW infant. Posttraumatic stress symptoms was not related to infant illness, but appears to be reflective of maternal characteristics. Mothers who found the NICU experience to be stressful reported more symptoms of posttraumatic stress.