title: Bonding with books: the parent-infant connection in the neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: Parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience one of the most stressful events of their lives. At times, they are unable to participate fully, if at all, in the care of their infant. Parents in the NICU have a need to participate in the care of their infant to attain the parental role. Parental reading to infants in the NICU is an intervention that can connect the parent and infant and offers a way for parents to participate in caregiving. This intervention may have many benefits and may positively affect the parent-infant relationship.
authors.affiliation: Level III NICU, Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, Youngstown, Ohio, USA. ljwalker@zoominternet.net
authors.forename: Lynne J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D001877:Books; D006380:Helplessness, Learned; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011932:Reading