Evaluating the effect of supporting nursing cares on the stress of parents with premature infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit in Southeast Iran

Abstract

Objectives: Premature birth puts the infant at risk of a wide range of problems. Hospitalization of such infants is inevitable and it makes a critical situation for the parents of these infants and puts them under a major stress. Materials & Methods: the present study is a quasi-experimental study which was conducted in neonatal intense care unit. Total of 60 parents were participated in the study by convenience sampling and were divided in control and intervention groups. The control group received only the routine care while supportive nursing care in 4 subgroups of communication, emotional, parent's self-esteem and qualitative care was performed in the intervention group. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and T-tests and SPSS21 software. Results: according to the research results, there is no significant relationship between two groups in term of demographic characteristics (P=0.001). Intervention caused a significant decrease in the average stress level compared to the situation of before intervention (P <= 0.04). Significance of results: Supportive nursing care leads to empowerment and reduces the stress level of parents of premature infants and care promotion. So planning to improve the nurse's supportive role seems to be essential to reduce stress and interact with parents in neonatal intensive care unit.