Loss of parental role as a cause of stress in the neonatal intensive care unit
Bouet, K.M.; Claudio, N.; Ramirez, V.ón.; García-Fragoso, L.
Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico 104(1): 8-11
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-4849 PMID: 22788072 Document Number: 656786
Having a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a major source of stress for parents. The barriers to parenting and reactions to the environment may negatively influence the parent-infant relationship. To identify NICU-related parental stress and associated factors. Parents (N = 156) of newborns admitted to NICU completed the Parental Stressor Scale. Most of the parents (46%) rated the experience to be extremely stressful. The principal cause of stress was the alteration in parental role and being separated from their baby. Stress was not associated to education, marital status, infants' birth weight, gestational age, congenital anomalies or if the parents expected the baby to be in the NICU. Identification of areas associated to higher levels of stress in parents may help the NICU staff to establish strategies to help parents cope with the stress caused by being unable to start their parenting role immediately after their babies' birth.