Abstract
Background:Premature birth is one of the most important unresolved reproductive health problems. Premature birth is often traumatic and a source of distress for parents. Increased parental stress during the first year of their infant's life is a risk factor for later behavioral problems in infants.Objectives:This study was designed to compare anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and social supports in parents of premature and mature infants.Patients and Methods:This was a comparative descriptive study conducted at healthcare centers of Qom city, in 2012. In this study, 82 couples (164 parents) divided into two groups including parents who have preterm and term infants. Questionnaires including items such as demographic characteristics, obstetric and post-traumatic stress disorders, Spielberger anxiety and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were completed two months after childbirth. Data were analyzed using χ2 test, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney test, independent t-test, and regression logistic using SPSS18 software.Results:The levels of anxiety was not significantly different in mothers and fathers in the two groups, but the trait anxiety level of mothers (P < 0.001) and fathers who had preterm infants (P = 0.01) was significantly greater than the parents of full-term infants. Post-traumatic stress disorder was significantly greater in mothers of preterm infants than those of term infants (P = 0.03), but this amount was not significantly different between the two groups of fathers. Mothers' social support did not differ significantly (P = 0.08), however, it was significantly different in fathers (P = 0.01).Conclusions:Premature infants' parents are more at risk of mental disorders than term infants' parents. This result shows the need of interventions, so these parents can better deal with the problems of premature infants.
Highlights
Premature birth is one of the most important unresolved reproductive health problems
The means age of mothers in full-term baby group was 28.22 ± 4.54 and those in preterm infants group was 27.6 ± 6.25, the results showed no significant statistical differences in terms of age between fathers and mothers of term and preterm infants
Mann-Whitney test showed that fathers of term infants had higher levels of education compared to preterm infants
Summary
Premature birth is one of the most important unresolved reproductive health problems. Objectives: This study was designed to compare anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and social supports in parents of premature and mature infants. 82 couples (164 parents) divided into two groups including parents who have preterm and term infants Questionnaires including items such as demographic characteristics, obstetric and post-traumatic stress disorders, Spielberger anxiety and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were completed two months after childbirth. Post-traumatic stress disorder was significantly greater in mothers of preterm infants than those of term infants (P = 0.03), but this amount was not significantly different between the two groups of fathers. Preterm birth is often traumatic and a source of distress for parents This event is known as an emotional crisis which is often diagnosed with a sense of loss and sorrow. When a baby is born normal and healthy, the mother needs to adjust the ideal image she had created of her newborn baby with what she re-
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