Parents' perceptions of the psychological and social impact of home monitoring.
Self-assessments of 133 parents' (74 families) feelings, perceptions, reactions to stresses, and satisfactions during a period of electronic home monitoring are reported. Data were collected during structured interviews by students in a graduate social work program. Although extreme anxiety was prevalent initially, only 27.4% of the parents felt they were very anxious beyond the first month. Social life was restricted in 55.7% but job attendance was seldom affected. Only four parents felt very irritated by the increased demands of the monitored baby. The majority (72.9%) said that the monitor made them feel more comfortable with their baby. Only 14.2% felt that their marriage relationship worsened during the period of monitoring; two couples separated. Most supportive to parents were their spouses, least supportive were friends and relatives. With availability of a psychosocial support system, electronic home monitoring of infants can be conducted by parents without constant and extreme anxiety and, in their judgment, can even be a satisfying experience.
D001007:Anxiety; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008393:Marriage; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000209:etiology