Family-based intervention to enhance infant-parent relationships in the neonatal intensive care unit.
OBJECTIVE
To examine how family-based interventions in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may change parental knowledge and behaviors and decrease stress.


METHODS
Eighty-four high-risk mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to two intervention and one control groups. Group 1 (n = 28) participated in a demonstration of infant reflexes, attention, motor skills, and sleep-wake states. Group 2 (n = 31) viewed educational materials. Group 3 (n = 25), controls, participated in an informal discussion. Parent-infant interactions (Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale) were videotaped. Mothers completed measures of stress (Parenting Stress Index) and knowledge of infant cues (Knowledge of Preterm Infant Behavior Scale).


RESULTS
Mothers in both intervention groups evidenced greater knowledge and more contingent and sensitive interactions with their infants than did the control group. Stress also differed across groups, and all mothers reported scores above norms.


CONCLUSIONS
In a high-risk sample, short-term, family-based NICU interventions may enhance mothers' knowledge, sensitivity, contingency, and stress.
Browne
Joy V
JV
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and Center for Family and Infant Interaction, The Children's Hospital, 1056 East 19th Avenue B310, Denver, CO 80218, USA.
Talmi
Ayelet
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009825:Oklahoma; D016487:Parenting; D011203:Poverty; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control