Effects of intermittent kangaroo care on maternal attachment, postpartum depression of mothers with preterm infants

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose To reveal the effect of intermittent kangaroo care on maternal attachment, postpartum depression of mothers with preterm infants. Methods The study was conducted as a single centre randomised controlled study with sixty mothers whose newborns were hospitalised in the NICU due to prematurity. The data were collected by the questionnaire form, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI). ‘Intermittent kangaroo care’ was applied for 30 minutes once a day for 10 days to the experimental group. Women were completed the EPDS and the MAI in postpartum 30–40th days. Results The median of the total score of EPDS in the experimental group was 7, and in the control group was 9 (p > 0.05). The median of the total score of MAI in the experimental group was 99, and in the control group was 97 (p <0.05) and it was determined that the effect size of the difference between the groups was medium (1-β: 0.65, Cohen’s d: 0.532). Conclusion It was determined that mothers who received intermittent kangaroo care had higher scores that can be interpreted as higher maternal attachment than others and the postpartum depression scores did not differ between experimental and control group.