The Impact of a Preterm Baby Arrival in a Family: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: The rate of premature births is increasing every day, with an estimated 15 million premature babies born worldwide each year. When a child is born prematurely, he or she is transferred to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), requiring special care on an ongoing basis. The admission of the newborn to these units can negatively affect the family routine as it generates changes and requires adaptation to new roles. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to understand the effect of the arrival of a premature baby on the family, based on the parents’ perception. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive observational study conducted by means of a self-administered online ad-hoc questionnaire which collected information related to the situation of the relatives of premature infants in the region of Extremadura (Spain). The questionnaire consisted of a total of 35 questions, divided into three sections: ‘family environment’, ‘stay in hospital’ and ‘return home’. Results: Among the 53 responses obtained from fathers and mothers, 44 were from mothers. 53.6% of the respondents felt a delay in the acquisition of their parental role and 86.8% were afraid for their baby. During hospital stay, most of the parents had to modify their routines (94.3%), 69.8% suffered from sleep disturbances, 84.9% changed their eating habits and 88.5% referred to loss of time for themselves. Once at home, the time it took to recover their family normality ranged from 4 to 11 months, while 84.9% of respondents neglected their personal appearance and more than half had to give up or reduce their working hours. Conclusion: The arrival of a premature baby has a strong impact on the parents’ family environment, altering their daily routines and occupations both in hospital and at home. If preterm care programmes take into account these possible occupational imbalances, it will not only meet the needs of the parents but also provide family-centred care.

Parental Distress and Affective Perception of Hospital Environment after a Pictorial Intervention in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

“…The literature has recognized the effects of interventions of humanization on affective perception in several hospital wards, such as Psychiatry, Radiology, Stem Cell Transplant Centre, and Pediatrics [ 42 , 52 , 54 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Nevertheless, no attention has been paid to the NICUs, often described by parents as unfamiliar, disturbing, and highly distressing environments [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…In the present study we found, in particular, that the scores for all negative subscales of QAL (distressing, unpleasant, gloomy and sleepy) were significantly lower after the implementation of intervention. This result has clinical implications, suggesting that this intervention may reduce the sense of unfamiliarity and discomfort reported by parents during their stay in the NICU [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. This explanation is further supported by the fact that parents, after the pictorial humanization, obtained higher scores at three of the positive QAL subscales: pleasant, exciting, and arousing.…”

“…During hospitalization, parents can often also experience a sense of helplessness, reinforced by the need to delegate the baby’s care to medical staff [ 9 ]. Furthermore, the hospital itself can represent a stressor for parents, as the NICU rules (e.g., scheduled visiting hours) and environmental characteristics (such as noises, lights, alarms) could be perceived as unfamiliar and disturbing [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Estado de salud mental en madres de recién nacidos ingresados en el servicio de neonatología

“…El ingreso del recién nacido a hospitalización puede afectar negativamente la vida familiar, ya que genera cambios y requiere adaptación a nuevos roles (Jiménez et al 2021), por esta razón, el presente trabajo investigativo tiene como objetivo principal evaluar el estado de salud mental en las madres de recién nacidos ingresados en el servicio de neonatología.…”

Application of occupational justice concepts to children who are born preterm or admitted to neonatal intensive care and their parents: a scoping review protocol

“…Studies explored concepts, such as parental occupational balance in parents of babies born at a very low birth weight who were admitted to a NICU, 22 the experiences of fathers with inpatient premature neonates who experienced occupational disruption, 23 and a cross-sectional study on occupational imbalances in parents following the birth of a baby born preterm and admitted to a NICU. 24 A preliminary search of PROSPERO, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and JBI Evidence Synthesis was conducted and no current or in-progress scoping reviews or systematic reviews on the topic were identified. The rationale for a scoping review on this topic is clear given the potential for occupational justice concepts to enhance clinical OT practice.…”