Validity of the social support assessment scale in mothers of hospitalized premature neonates

Maihana Maira Cruz Dantas Fonseca,Brenda Albuquerque Adriano Da Silva,Eulália Maria Chaves Maia,Heloísa Karmelina Carvalho De Sousa,João Carlos Alchieri

doi:10.1590/1982-0275202138e190112

Maihana Maira Cruz Dantas Fonseca, Brenda Albuquerque Adriano Da Silva + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275202138e190112

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Abstract

Abstract Mothers staying with their premature babies, hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit tend to have reduced contact with friends and family, so it is pertinent that the perceived social support be evaluated during this period. This study aims to verify the validity of the Scale to evaluate the perceived social support by mothers of hospitalized premature babies. It is composed by the following dimensions: affective support; material support; informational support; emotionalsupport; embracing support; and attentional support. It is a sectional analytical study. The participants were 218 mothers of premature babies hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The social support Scale for mothers of hospitalized premature neonates demonstrates satisfactory psychometric quality, presenting evidence of criterion validity, internal consistency and internal structure.

Highlights

Mothers staying with their premature babies, hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit tend to have reduced contact with friends and family, so it is pertinent that the perceived social support be evaluated during this period
Considering the association between the score attributed by the mothers to the social support received during the time of their babies’ stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a moderate positive relationship was found between the total score (r = 0.42), affective support (r = 0.31), material support (r = 0.32), and informational support (r = 0.37), which can show satisfactory criterion validity
Social support is a construct that has been presented in the literature as being associated with health benefits for individuals

Summary

Introduction

Mothers staying with their premature babies, hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit tend to have reduced contact with friends and family, so it is pertinent that the perceived social support be evaluated during this period. This study aims to verify the validity of the Scale to evaluate the perceived social support by mothers of hospitalized premature babies. It is composed by the following dimensions: affective support; material support; informational support; emotional support; embracing support; and attentional support. The social support Scale for mothers of hospitalized premature neonates demonstrates satisfactory psychometric quality, presenting evidence of criterion validity, internal consistency and internal structure. In addition to undergoing biological transformations, the puerperal woman still has to deal with the varied demands of the postpartum period, such aspects make women more vulnerable to presenting some type of mental disorder (Almeida & Arrais, 2016; Higuti & Capocci, 2003)

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