| Abstract [eng] |
The birth of a premature baby causes stress to the parents. They may lack the social skills and experience to overcome emotions. Despite medical professionals, who are working hard to address the needs of parents, parents still feel powerless. Therefore, support for parents is just as important as support for a premature baby. Goal – to analyse the stress experienced after the birth of a premature baby from the perspective of parents and caregivers. Research methods. An analysis of the scientific literature and a quantitative study were carried out. The data collection method was subjected to an anonymous questionnaire using a standardized questionnaire developed by prof. Somashekhar Nimbalkar “The Level and Sources of Stress in Mothers of Infants Admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit”. The research involved 257 parents, whose preterm baby was treated in NICU at one of the Lithuanian hospitals, and 50 caregivers, in the same NICU at one of the Lithuanian hospitals. The research was conducted in accordance with ethical principles. Research results and conclusions. Parents in the NICU environment are found to have high levels of stress. The vast majority of 257 parents in the study experienced high levels of stress, ranging from „quite a lot of stress“ to „caused particularly much stress“. For a minority of parents, the things they have seen and heard, the appearance and behaviour of the baby, the relationship with the baby, and the behaviour and communication of the staff did not cause any stress at all. It has been observed that parental stress increases if parents do not get timely help and support. The hypothesis has been proven that parents who are staying with a baby feel different stress than parents who come to visit the baby. |
