CLINICAL RESEARCHPosttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Mothers of Premature Infants
Section snippets
Participants
Participants in the current study were a convenience sample of 30 mothers of premature infants enrolled in a larger study of a nursing support intervention (Holditch-Davis & Miles, 2000; Holditch-Davis, Miles, & Belyea, 2000). The infants were all patients in a tertiary, university-based NICU and were selected because they were at high risk for developmental problems, either due to their birth weight being less than 1,500 g or their having medical problems requiring mechanical ventilation. All
Results
All of the mothers interviewed had at least one post-traumatic symptom, 12 had two symptoms, and 16 had three symptoms. Increased arousal was reported by 26 mothers; avoidance and re-experiencing were each reported by 24 mothers.
Discussion
Thus, 6 months after their infants’ expected birth dates, most of the mothers of high-risk premature infants interviewed appeared to be experiencing emotional responses consistent with posttraumatic stress reactions. All mothers in this study had at least one posttraumatic symptom, and more than half had all three symptoms (reexperiencing the event, avoidance of reminders or numbing, and increased arousal). The number, but not the type, of posttraumatic symptoms was related to maternal
Acknowledgments
The preparation of this article was partially supported by the National Institute for Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, as part of research support center grant (P30 NR03962), and, for the second and third authors, by a Predoctoral Fellowship: Institutional National Service Award from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing (T32 NR07091).
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