title: Symbolic interactionism and nurse-mother communication in the neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: The admission of an infant to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has the potential to cause significant stress for the mothers of these infants. Researchers have found that nurse-mother communication has the potential to either aid or hinder the mother's adaptation to the NICU environment. These communication patterns are relatively complex in nature and therefore warrant further investigation. Symbolic interactionism (SI) is a theoretical framework that offers the potential to direct such an investigation. The purpose of this article is to examine nurse-mother communication patterns in the NICU through the theoretical lens of SI.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA. clevelandl@uthscsa.edu
authors.forename: Lisa Marie
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Cleveland
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D013561:Symbolism