The Effectiveness of an Educational-Behavioral Intervention for Mothers of Hospitalized Preterm Infants in Reducing Maternal Stress and Anxiety, and Improving Postpartum Bonding

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational-behavioral intervention for mothers of hospitalized preterm infants in reducing maternal stress and anxiety, and improving parent-infant bonding when compared to a group receiving standard care. Background: Guidelines for family-centered care interventions that are culturally appropriate, and effective in improving maternal well-being and child outcomes, are sparse. Methods: This study was a prospective phase-lag interventional study, conducted at a neonatal intensive care unit. Participants were mothers of preterm infants (≤32 weeks and birth weight <1500 g). The intervention was a group-based 4-week educational-behavioral program. Pre- and posttests were conducted at recruitment and after 6 weeks using the Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. Results: Twenty-seven mothers in the intervention group and 29 mothers in the control group completed the assessments. The posttest assessments showed significantly lower scores in anxiety (state anxiety: M [SD] 27.2 [3.09] vs 48.9 [11.75], P < 0.01); trait anxiety: M [SD] 26.1 [3.86] vs 40.8 [10.38], P < 0.01), lower stress scores ( M [SD] 1.75 [0.35] vs 2.61 [0.33], P < 0.001), and fewer mothers with postpartum bonding disorder (2 [7%] vs 11 [38%], P < 0.001) in the intervention group when compared to the control group. Conclusion: The educational-behavioral intervention was effective in reducing maternal stress and anxiety, and improving postpartum bonding in mothers of hospitalized preterm infants. Implications for research and practice: This intervention is easily implemented for mothers of hospitalized preterm infants. Future research can evaluate the effect of the intervention on long-term maternal well-being and infant development.