Parenting and Nursing Issues Faced by Parents During the Hospitalization of Their Preterm Infants

Abstract

Preterm labor is often a sudden event that impacts significantly on the health of the premature infant and on parenting behaviors. The prognosis for premature infants correlates positively with the effectiveness of parenting. Therefore, encouraging parental functions is important. The present paper reviews the literature on the concept of family-centered care in the contexts of premature-infant health problems, assesses the impacts of preterm birth on the parental role, and assesses the influences of parental dysfunction. We suggest that related interventions promote parental function in the five dimensions of parental bonding, confidence reinforcement, stress management, interpersonal support, and pre-discharge preparation. The intervention framework that is developed in the present paper is intended to assist clinical nurses to help parents use positive coping behavior to encourage healthy parental and family function and to promote the health of their premature infant.