Anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and social supports among parents of premature and full-term infants.
BACKGROUND
Premature birth is one of the most important unresolved reproductive health problems. Premature birth is often traumatic and a source of distress for parents. Increased parental stress during the first year of their infant's life is a risk factor for later behavioral problems in infants.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to compare anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and social supports in parents of premature and mature infants.


METHODS
This was a comparative descriptive study conducted at healthcare centers of Qom city, in 2012. In this study, 82 couples (164 parents) divided into two groups including parents who have preterm and term infants. Questionnaires including items such as demographic characteristics, obstetric and post-traumatic stress disorders, Spielberger anxiety and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were completed two months after childbirth. Data were analyzed using χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney test, independent t-test, and regression logistic using SPSS18 software.


RESULTS
The levels of anxiety was not significantly different in mothers and fathers in the two groups, but the trait anxiety level of mothers (P < 0.001) and fathers who had preterm infants (P = 0.01) was significantly greater than the parents of full-term infants. Post-traumatic stress disorder was significantly greater in mothers of preterm infants than those of term infants (P = 0.03), but this amount was not significantly different between the two groups of fathers. Mothers' social support did not differ significantly (P = 0.08), however, it was significantly different in fathers (P = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Premature infants' parents are more at risk of mental disorders than term infants' parents. This result shows the need of interventions, so these parents can better deal with the problems of premature infants.
Department of Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Maryam
M
Ghorbani
Department of Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Mahrokh
M
Dolatian
Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Jamal
J
Shams
Department of Biostatistics, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Hamid
H
Alavi-Majd
Anxiety; Infant, Premature; Social Support; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic