The predictors of health status of premature infant’s mothers

2^nd International Conference on Nursing & Healthcare

November 17-19, 2014 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago-North Shore Conference Center, USA

Chich-Hsiu Hung

Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Medicine technology advances, continuous improvement of caring skills, and the implementation of a national health insurance payment system have increased access to health care services and the survival rate of premature infants. However, these outcomes have not improved premature infants? mothers? stress and the parent-child relationship. Thus this study employed a cross-sectional design. With convenience sampling, a total of 203 mothers of premature infants were recruited from two medical centers and four community teaching hospitals in southern Taiwan. The Hung Postpartum Stress Scale, Social Support Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Chinese Health Questionnaire were used to assess the mothers? psychosocial features during the first six weeks postpartum. Mothers? health status differed significantly according to levels of postpartum stress and depression. The important health status predictors were age, education, postpartum stress, and depression level. The concerns and needs of mothers of premature infants differed from those of full-term mothers during the first six weeks postpartum; premature infants? health status was found to be a major perceived stressor for their mothers. In addition to age and education level, postpartum stress and depression levels predicted health status in mothers of premature infants. Health care providers should evaluate the postpartum concerns and needs of mothers of premature infants and provide timely care to reduce their postpartum stress and depression levels, thereby promoting postpartum health. Future studies should explore postpartum stress, social support, depression, and health status each postpartum week, which could serve as a reference for nursing interventions.