Mother’s mental health and the interaction with her moderate preterm baby in the NICU

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Moderate preterm infants, born between 320/7 and 336/7 weeks, represent a significant number of preterm-born infants; however, they remain a poorly studied group despite their vulnerability. The objective of this correlational study is to describe the impact of having a moderate preterm infant hospitalised in the NICU on the mothers’ mental health and how this relates to the interaction between the dyad. Method: During the hospitalisation period, 85 moderate preterm mother-infant dyads participated in this study. The participants provided self-reports of depression, parental stress, and skin to skin and breastfeeding practices. Also, mother-infant interaction was assessed in the NICU with an observational scale. Results: Mothers evidenced high levels of stress and depressive symptoms during the hospitalization. The stress experienced by these women was significant, although weakly, associated with the interaction with their babies; and mothers of small for gestational age babies showed difficulties in this area. Conclusions: The results of this study could represent a contribution to a better understanding of the relation between the characteristics of moderate preterm babies, maternal emotional wellbeing, and the quality of mother-infant interactions in NICU settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Moderate preterm
• premature birth
• perinatal mental health
• mother-infant interaction
• neuroprotection
• neuroprotective strategies

Author’s names and academic degree

Dr. Andrea Mira (Master in Infant Mental Health, Dr(c) Developmental Science and Psychopathology)

Dr. Soledad Coo (Doctor in Psychology)

Ms. Rodolfo Bastías (Master in Health Management, Neonatal Therapist)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).