Stress and Coping Strategies among Mothers for Caring Premature Infant at Home

Abstract

Background: Mothers with premature babies have higher stress levels than mothers with full-term babies and experience barriers to becoming mothers, so mothers need to adjust coping strategies continuously. This research aims to correlate coping strategies and stress among mothers caring for their premature babies at home. Methods: The data collected from 188 mothers was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Spearman test). Results: Most respondents are in the moderate stress category (70.2%). The three coping strategies used by mothers, namely praying, getting closer to the baby, and accepting the situation, were mostly in the good category (94.7%, 76.6%, and 68.1%), while coping for seeking support was mostly in the moderate category (60.6%). There was a correlation between coping and maternal stress (coping with prayer: p-value 0.008, coping with attachment: p-value 0.000, coping with accepting situations: p-value 0.000, and coping with seeking information: p-value 0.000). The strongest correlation was the coping strategy with accepting the situation (r = 0.561), which means that the better the coping with accepting the situation, the less stress. This study shows a correlation between mothers coping strategies and the stress of caring for premature babies at home. Conclusion: Support by health workers is crucial in developing appropriate coping strategies for mothers to reduce maternal stress when caring for premature babies at home.