Antecedents of Behavior: Parents of High-Risk Newborns

Abstract

The Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) was used to develop an instrument to measure antecedents of parental behavior. The subjects, a convenience sample of 10 parents of high-risk newborns were interviewed 24 to 36 hours after their infant's admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Likert and semantic differential scales (Osgood, Suci & Tannenbaum, 1956) were developed based on salient themes identified from the qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts to measure parents': (a) attitudes, (b) social norms, (c) previous experiences and (d) expectations. The instrument was evaluated on 30 parents using a repeated measures design. Results reflect the reliability and validity of the instrument, an emerging model of antecedents of parent's behavior and the presence of differences in antecedents of parent's behavior.

The conceptual structure of transition to motherhood in the neonatal intensive care unit

“…While this may not be true worldwide, mothers interviewed in Korea perceived a strong social prejudice against infants in NICUs. Social norms, or mothers’ perceptions of what others think right after the birth, are related to their outcome expectations and these influences may decrease over time (Kurtz et al. 1992).…”

“…tions of what others think right after the birth, are related to their outcome expectations and these influences may decrease over time (Kurtz et al 1992). Thus, it is necessary for healthcare providers and family to show the positive and consistent responses during the early NICU period in order to mitigate mothers' negative meaning attributions.…”

“…These experiences are deeply influenced by culture (Kurtz et al. 1992, Pinch & Spielman 1996, Simkin 1996).…”

“…These experiences are deeply influenced by culture (Kurtz et al 1992, Pinch & Spielman 1996, Simkin 1996. For example, many Koreans have negative impressions about infants in the NICU, for example that they will not be healthy, and they think that the mother is responsible for giving birth to an unhealthy infant (Shin 2003).…”

Evaluation of a developmental care training programme for neonatal nurses

“…To our knowledge, the TRA has not been used extensively in neonatology. A search of the literature revealed only two published studies: one related to the behaviours of parents of premature infants (Kurtz et al, 1992) and the second to nurses' attitudes towards premature infants (Richey, 1988).…”