The Effect of Empowering Mothers of Infants Hospitalized at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on Their Participation in Neonatal Care

AbstractIntroduction: Mothers’ participation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is importantin promoting neonatal care and good outcomes for neonates and their mothers. Thepresent study was conducted with the aim of assessing the effect of empoweringmothers of hospitalized neonates on the level of their participation in neonatal care.Methods: This quasi-experimental single-group study with before-after designrecruited 59 mothers of neonates hospitalized at the NICU, selected according to thestudy inclusion criteria. Data were collected using educational needs questionnaireand the maternal participation checklist. The questionnaire was completed bymothers and the participation checklist by the researcher before the intervention. Theempowerment program was then implemented over 2 to 4 days.Results: Comparison of participants› checklist scores before and after theimplementation of the empowerment program in 3 domains of care needs, informationneeds, and bonding, and attachment needs, showed significant increases in the level ofmothers› participation. The comparison of checklist participation scores showed thatthe Mean (M) and Standard Deviation (SD) of scores before and after performing themothers› empowerment were respectively 7.61 ± 3.66 and 12.38 ± 1.31 in the carearea, 1.47 ± 0.99 and 3.13 ± 0.66 in the information area, and 4.77 ± 1.42 and 5.70 ±0.59 in the area of attachment and dependency.Conclusions: Implementation of the empowerment program for mothers based ontheir educational needs significantly increased mothers› participation in neonatalcare. This empowerment program could be applied for a broad range of population ofmothers at the intensive care units of neonates

The effect of guided imagery on stress and attachment of mothers of premature infants in neonatal intensive care unit: A quasi-experimental study

Background. Premature birth, in addition to causing health problems in infants, increases stress in the mother and reduces attachment between mother and baby. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of guided visualization on stress and attachment of mothers of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods. This quasi-experimental study was performed on 35 mothers with premature infants admitted to the NICU of Mahdieh Hospital of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mothers were selected by available sampling method and randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. For mothers in the intervention group, the intervention was performed from the first to the fifth day of birth through training and sending guided imagery files. On the day of admission and discharge, the parental stress questionnaire and the postpartum attachment questionnaire were completed by the mother. SPSS software (version 20) was used to analyze the data. Results. The mean total score of maternal attachment on the fifth day of the intervention was significantly higher in the intervention group (P<0.001). Also, the mean total score of mothers' attachment status on the day of discharge was significantly higher in the intervention group (P<0.001). Conclusion. Implementation of guided visualization program reduced stress in mothers with premature infants admitted to the NICU, and consequently increased the level of attachment. Practical Implications. Mothers are the primary caregivers of infants, and promoting maternal health has an effect on infants. In addition to reducing stress in preterm infants, this study can help improve the quality of infant care and increase attachment and parenting. The present study offers a completely cost-effective way to reduce the costs of long-term hospitalization and improve the quality of nursing