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IMPACT OF PARENTAL AGE ON PARENTAL STRESS EXPERIENCE AFTER BIRTH OF A PRETERM NEONATE ADMITTED TO NICU
Abstract
Background
Preterm birth is often associated with increased parental stress, worry and anxiety, during and after admission to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Objectives
Aim of the present study was to analyse, if there is an age-dependency of parental stress after birth of a preterm neonate admitted to NICU and if there is a difference between mothers and fathers.
Methods
A prospective observational study was conducted at the NICU, Medical University of Graz, Austria. 50 mothers and 50 fathers received the PSS:NICU questionnaire within 72 hours after preterm birth of their neonate, which has been admitted to the NICU immediately after birth. This questionnaire measures parental stress via the three subscales “Looks and Behave of the Child”, “Parental Role Alteration” and “Sights and Sounds”. For analyses age of mothers and fathers were correlated to values obtained from the subscales of the PSS:NICU.
Results
47 mothers (age 30.5±5 years) and 47 fathers (age 33±6 years) were included for analyses. There was a significant increase in the stress subscale “Looks and Behave of the child” with increasing age of the mother, whereby “Parental Role Alteration” and “Sights and sounds” did not show a significant correlation with maternal age. No significant correlations of age of the father with any subscale of the PSS:NICU were observed.
Conclusion
Age-dependency of stress experience after preterm birth differs between mothers and fathers. This observation should to be taken into account when supporting mothers and fathers of preterm neonates admitted to NICU.