2 research outputs found
Maternal Psychological Problems Associated with Neonatal Intensive Care Admission
Background.
Mothers of infants admitted to a neonatal
intensive care unit (NICU) are believed to have
heightened distress. The purpose of this paper was to determine depression and anxiety
symptoms and attachment style in NICU mothers.
Methods. The NICU group
consisted of mothers whose infants were admitted
to the NICU and the control group consisted of
mothers of healthy term infants. The
psychosocial assessments were done at the first
month. Results. The mean Edinburgh Postpartum Depression (EPDS) score of NICU
mothers was significantly higher than that of
the control group mothers (9.6 ± 5.6 versus 7.3 ± 4.9, P = .005). NICU mothers who had high EPDS (≥13) scores had significantly higher anxiety scores and insecure attachment style in comparison to the subgroup of NICU mothers who had low EPDS scores. Conclusion. Mothers of NICU babies had higher EPDS scores. Mothers who had higher EPDS scores had higher anxiety scores as well. These NICU mothers should receive appropriate counseling during the hospitalization of their babies