A Multifaceted Approach to Supporting Mothers of Premature Infants
Abstract Background Premature birth exposes mothers to a strange experience for which they are not mentally ready. Premature birth exposes mothers to a strange experience for which they are not mentally ready. This study aimed to examine the effect of a multi-faceted supportive approach on the levels of perceived support in mothers. Methods The present experimental study was conducted on 143 mothers with preterm infants, (In the intervention group, 75 infants and mothers and 68 infants and mothers in the control group), in the NICUs of two educational and referral hospitals of Tehran, Iran; from Feb 14, 2016 to May 14, 2016. The inclusion criteria were: having a preterm infant with gestational age < 37 weeks, birth weight < 2500 gr, high probability of survival, Iranian nationality and ability to communicate verbally. Exclusion criteria were: preterm infants without abnormality or disabling conditions such as intra ventricular hemorrhage (IVH) grade 3 or 4. The designed intervention was conducted based on the support system pattern of mothers with premature infants. Different interventions in support (appraisal, instrumental, emotional, and informational support) of mothers in NICU were planned for the supportive program, which was gradually implemented within 3 months of the intervention. The Nurse Parent Support Tool (NPST) was used to assess the mothers' perceptions of the perceived support. The control group received routine care. The obtained data were analyzed by STATA software 13. Classified variables were analyzed using t-test, chi-square and Inverse Probability Treatment Weights (IPTW). Results After adjusted mean differences (95% confidence interval) of outcomes between two groups, results showed that the all support scores including total support, -1.83 (95% CI -1.6 to -2.06), Instrumental support, -1.23 (95% CI -1.04 to -1.43), Emotional support, -1.87 (95% CI -2.15 to 1.6) and Appraisal support, -2.01 (95% CI -1.73 to -2.29), and Informational support, -2.12 (95% CI -1.82 to -2.43), in the experimental group were significantly higher than in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusions The information, support and early intervention play important roles in the maternal empowerment to cope with her situation.