Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2019.25.4.377

Correlations between a Flexible Parental Visiting Environment and Parental Stress in Neonatal Intensive Care Units  

Lee, Su Jin (College of Nursing, Yonsei University.Samsung Medical Center)
Choi, Eun Kyoung (College of Nursing.Mo-Im Kim Nursing Research Institute, Yonsei University)
Park, Jeongok (College of Nursing.Mo-Im Kim Nursing Research Institute, Yonsei University)
Kim, Hee Soon (Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing Education)
Publication Information
Child Health Nursing Research / v.25, no.4, 2019 , pp. 377-387 More about this Journal
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between a flexible parental visiting environment and parental stress in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Methods: The study participants included 60 parents of premature infants in NICUs. Structured questionnaires and interviews, as well as observations by researchers using a caregiving behavior checklist, were used to measure the flexibility of the parental visiting environment and parents' stress levels. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently and were initially analyzed as separate data sets. Data collection extended from March 11, 2018 to June 30. 2018 and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: There was a negative correlation (r=-.30, p=.021) between parental stress and the total number of visits in 7 days. We also found that the average duration of each visit and the number of caregiving behaviors performed by parents were positively correlated (r=.73, p<.001). Conclusion: When designing a flexible visiting environment for parents, parents should be encouraged to visit their babies. By doing so, stress can be reduced both for babies and for parents. Therefore, it is suggested that the related polices and regulations in South Korea should be changed to provide more a flexible visiting environment to promote better parent-child attachment and family adjustment.
Keywords
Emotional stress; Family nursing; Intensive care units; neonatal; Parents; Visitors to patients;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 2  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Giannini A, Garrouste-Orgeas M, Latour JM. What's new in ICU visiting policies: Can we continue to keep the doors closed? Intensive Care Medicine. 2014;40(5):730-733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-014-3267-y   DOI
2 Belanger L, Bussieres S, Rainville F, Coulombe M, Desmartis M. Hospital visiting policies - impacts on patients, families and staff: A review of the literature to inform decision making. Journal of Hospital Administration. 2017;6(6):51-62. https://doi.org/10.5430/jha.v6n6p51   DOI
3 Miles MS, Funk SG, Carlson J. Parental stressor scale: Neonatal intensive care unit. Nursing Research. 1993;42(3):148-152.
4 Levy-Shiff R, Hoffman MA, Mogilner S, Levinger S, Mogilner MB. Fathers' hospital visits to their preterm infants as a predictor of father-infant relationship and infant development. Pediatrics. 1990;86(2):289-293.
5 Harrison TM. Family-centered pediatric nursing care: State of the science. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 2010;25(5):335-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2009.01.006   DOI
6 Mitchell ML, Aitken LM. Flexible visiting positively impacted on patients, families and staff in an australian intensive care unit: A before-after mixed method study. Australian Critical Care. 2017;30(2):91-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2016.01.001   DOI
7 Voos KC, Park N. Implementing an open unit policy in a neonatal intensive care unit: Nurses' and parents' perceptions. The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. 2014;28(4):313-318. https://doi.org/10.1097/jpn.0000000000000055   DOI
8 Matricardi S, Agostino R, Fedeli C, Montirosso R. Mothers are not fathers: Differences between parents in the reduction of stress levels after a parental intervention in a NICU. Acta Paediatrica. 2012;102(1):8-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.12058   DOI
9 Kim TI. A study on the perceived stress level of mothers in the neonatal intensive care unit patients. Korean Journal of Child Health Nursing. 2000;6(2):224-239.
10 Ionio C, Colombo C, Brazzoduro V, Mascheroni E, Confalonieri E, Castoldi F, et al. Mothers and fathers in NICU: The impact of preterm birth on parental distress. Europe's Journal of Psychology. 2016;12(4):604-621. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i4.1093   DOI
11 Turner M, Chur-Hansen A, Winefield H. The neonatal nurses' view of their role in emotional support of parents and its complexities. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2014;23(21-22):3156-3165. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.12558   DOI
12 Lee TY, Wang MM, Lin KC, Kao CH. The effectiveness of early intervention on paternal stress for fathers of premature infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2013;69(5):1085-1095. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06097.x   DOI
13 Maree C, Downes F. Trends in family-centered care in neonatal intensive care. The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. 2016;30(3):265-269. https://doi.org/10.1097/jpn.0000000000000202   DOI
14 Melnyk BM, Feinstein NF, Alpert-Gillis L, Fairbanks E, Crean HF, Sinkin RA, et al. Reducing premature infants' length of stay and improving parents' mental health outcomes with the creating opportunities for parent empowerment (COPE) neonatal intensive care unit program: A randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2006;118(5):e1414-1427. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-2580   DOI
15 Yang EJ. The effect of providing integrated information on stress perceived by parents of high-risk infant and nursing support [master's thesis]. Seoul: Han Yang University; 2015. p. 1-75.
16 Ramezani T, Hadian Shirazi Z, Sabet Sarvestani R, Moattari M. Family-centered care in neonatal intensive care unit: A concept analysis. International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery. 2014;2(4):268.
17 Lee YO, Kang JY. The effects of extended family visiting hours in the intensive care unit. Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing. 2011;4(1):51-63.
18 Han SY, Chae SM. Perceived parental stress and nursing support for fathers of high risk infants. Child Health Nursing Research. 2016;22(3):190-198. https://doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2016.22.3.190   DOI
19 Purdy IB, Craig JW, Zeanah P. NICU discharge planning and beyond: Recommendations for parent psychosocial support. Journal of Perinatology. 2015;35(S1):S24-S28. https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.146   DOI
20 Statistics Korea. 2018 annual report on live births and deaths statistics [Internet]. Daejeon: Statistics Korea; 2019 [cited 2019 March 20]. Available from: http://kostat.go.kr/portal/korea/kor_nw/1/1/index.board?bmode=read&bSeq=&aSeq=373361&pageNo=1&rowNum=10&navCount=10&currPg=&sTarget=title&sTxt=0.
21 Aydon L, Hauck Y, Murdoch J, Siu D, Sharp M. Transition from hospital to home: Parents' perception of their preparation and readiness for discharge with their preterm infant. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2018;27(1-2):269-277. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13883   DOI
22 Kim MH, Ji ES. Effects of a hospital based follow-up program for mothers with very birth weight infants. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. 2016;46(1):79-89. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2016.46.1.79   DOI
23 Forcada-Guex M, Borghini A, Pierrehumbert B, Ansermet F, Muller-Nix C. Prematurity, maternal posttraumatic stress and consequences on the mother-infant relationship. Early Human Development. 2011;87(1):21-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2010.09.006   DOI
24 Griffin T. A family-centered "visitation" policy in the neonatal intensive care unit that welcomes parents as partners. The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. 2013;27(2):160-167. https://doi.org/10.1097/jpn.0b013e3182907f26   DOI
25 Wang L, He JL, Fei SL. Perceived needs of parents of premature infants in NICU. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 2018;40(5):688-700. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945916683679   DOI
26 Cherry AS, Mignogna MR, Roddenberry Vaz A, Hetherington C, McCaffree MA, Anderson MP, et al. The contribution of maternal psychological functioning to infant length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. International Journal of Women's Health. 2016;8:233-242. https://doi.org/10.2147/ijwh.s91632   DOI
27 Chertok IR, McCrone S, Parker D, Leslie N. Review of interventions to reduce stress among mothers of infants in the NICU. Advances in Neonatal Care. 2014;14(1):30-37. https://doi.org/10.1097/anc.0000000000000044   DOI
28 Lee JY, Ju HO. Predictors of early postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units. Child Health Nursing Research. 2014;20(2):87-95. https://doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2014.20.2.87   DOI
29 Lee Y, Kim E, Park S, Kim AN, Lee J, Lee KM, et al. The visitation conditions, parents' anxiety and nurses' attitudes of open visitation in the neonatal intensive care unit. Evidence and Nursing. 2014;2(1):29-36.
30 Turner M, Chur-Hansen A, Winefield H, Stanners M. The assessment of parental stress and support in the neonatal intensive care unit using the parent stress scale - neonatal intensive care unit. Women and Birth. 2015;28(3):252-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2015.04.001   DOI