Stress in parents of children hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit – preliminary report
Keywords:
parents, infant, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, psychological distress, posttraumatic stress disorderAbstract
Introduction. Stress is a major concern among parents of newborns hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit.
Material and method. The study was of a qualitative character. It used a range of research tools: The Scale of Stress PSS-10, Multidimensional Questionnaire for Measuring Coping COPE, The Impact of Events Scale-Revised IES R, Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU) and the Nurse Parent Support Tool (NPTS ) and author’s questionnaires containing data about parents of children hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and data on hospitalized infants. The survey involved six parents of children hospitalized in the NICU, Children’s University Hospital in Lublin. All infants were born prematurely.
Results. In all of the parents, high level of stress was detected. The most common strategies for coping with stress included: Turning to Religion, Active Coping, Planning and Seeking Institutional Support. The highest stress levels of parents of children hospitalized in the NICU were associated with the appearance of the child and therapeutic procedures used. Parents were mostly given instrumental support, and the least – emotional and evaluative support from both nurses and doctors. Post-traumatic stress disorder was found in two of the examined parents.
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