title: Effect of Skin-to-Skin Holding on Stress in Mothers of Late-Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effect of skin-to-skin care (SSC) on stress perception between mothers who provided SSC to their late-preterm born infants and mothers who provided blanket holding.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a longitudinal 2-group randomized controlled trial of 40 infant-mother dyads recruited from a level 3 neonatal intensive care unit in the upper Midwest.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maternal stress was measured using the Parental Stressor: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU) scale pre- and post-SSC intervention. Demographic and other mother and infant covariates were extracted from medical records. Physiologic stability was measured by the Stability of the Cardiorespiratory System in Preterm Infants (SCRIP) score. Study personnel used daily logs to track frequency and duration of SSC and holding sessions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention and the control groups had similar pre- (mean ± standard deviation, 2.34 ± 0.86 for SSC and 2.94 ± 0.87 for holding) and post-intervention (mean ± standard deviation, 2.55 ± 0.95 for SSC and 2.78 ± 0.90 for holding) overall stress scores. Hours of SSC holding positively correlated with the change in stress scores for the entire scale (r = 0.58; P = .001), and for infant appearance (r = 0.58; P = .001) and parent role alteration (r = 0.48; P = .02) subscales. This relationship remained significant after controlling for the infant's length of stay and SCRIP score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mothers who provide SSC may experience more stress related to a more facilitated progression in the mother and infant relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relationship between increased stress and the number of hours of SSC holding warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: The University of South Dakota (Dr Samra); Avera Mckennan Hospital and University Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Dr Dutcher, Mss Foster, Klein, and Wallenburg); School of Nursing, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut (Dr McGrath); and South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota (Dr Djira and Ms Hansen).
authors.forename: Haifa Abou
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Samra
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dutcher
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Gemechis
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Djira
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wallenburg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D060127:Kangaroo-Mother Care Method / Q000379:methods*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult