Correlation between uncertainty in illness, anxiety and depression among mothers with preterm infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

Objective To investigate the level of uncertainty in illness, anxiety and depression for mothers with premature infants in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) , and to analyze the correlation between them. Methods Totally 100 mothers with premature infants hospitalized in NICU were into the experiment group. They were investigated with the General Information Questionnaire, the Parent, s Perception Uncertainty Scale-Family (PPUS-FM) , Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) , and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) . Results The total score of uncertainty in illness was (82.840±29.132) points; the total score of anxiety was (43.360±13.033) points; the total score of depression was (60.740±16.847) points. The total score of uncertainty in illness, unclear, complexity, lack of information and unpredictability were positively correlated with the total score of anxiety and depression (r=0.186-0.399, P<0.05 or 0.01). Conclusions Mothers with premature infants hospitalized in NICU show a high level of uncertainty in illness, anxiety and depression, and they are interacted with each other. Therefore, in addition to nursing preterm infants, nursing staff should attach importance to their mothers′ psychological needs, help them reduce the uncertainty in illness so as to relieve the anxiety, depression and promote their health in body and mind. Key words: Intensive care unit; Infant, premature; Mother; Uncertainty in illness; Anxiety; Depression