The Effect of the Supportive-Educational Intervention on the Stress of Mothers of Premature Infants Hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background & Aims: Hospitalization of a premature infant immediately after the birth is unavoidable and due to the need for special care is very stressful.Failure to pay attention to the emotional and psychological stress of mothers has caused insufficient attachment to their babies, which increases the vulnerability of the mothers of these babies.The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of the implementation of supportive-educational intervention on the stress of mothers of premature babies hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit.Materials & Methods: This is a semi-experimental study, and 70 mothers of premature infants hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Maragheh Shahid Beheshti hospital were selected and allocated to two intervention and control groups of 35 infants.The parental stress questionnaire was completed before and after the intervention.The intervention group received the educational support program during 6 sessions.After collecting the data, it was analyzed by SPSS version 16 software using descriptive and analytical statistics.Results: Before the supportive-educational intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the mean stress score of the two groups (p=0.09).After the intervention, the stress decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group, which was statistically significant.(p<0.0001).Regarding the dimensions of stress, the mean score of the relationship with the baby and the role of the mother, the stressful factors of the ward environment and the appearance, and behavior of the baby between the two intervention and control groups after the implementation of the supportive-educational intervention, there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.0001). Conclusion:The supportive educational program reduced stress on the mothers.Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare providers and nurses in the neonatal ward included supportive-educational intervention in their work priorities.