Maternal stress after preterm birth: Impact of length of antepartum hospital stay

Abstract

Background: Preterm birth is associated with increased parental stress, worry, and anxiety, and affects parental-child interactional behaviour.

Aim: To evaluate the influence of length of antepartum hospital stay on maternal stress after the birth of a preterm infant.

Methods: A prospective two-centre pilot case-control study was performed at two tertiary level Neonatal-Intensive-Care-Units (NICU). Mothers of preterm infants <36⁺⁰ weeks of gestation admitted to the NICUs were included. The stress of mothers with length of antepartum hospital stay <12h (n=20) were case-matched and compared to that of mothers with length of antepartum hospital stay ≥12h (n=20). Maternal stress was assessed within three days after birth with the Parental-Stress-Scale:NICU (PSS:NICU) questionnaire measuring three scales: "relationship and parental role", "sights and sounds", and "baby looks and behaves". Maternal socio-demographic data were collected by questionnaire administered at the same time.

Results: Both groups of mothers had similar socio-demographic data. Stress scale of "sights and sounds" was significantly increased in mothers with antepartum stay ≥12h (2.48±0.69) compared to mothers with antepartum stay <12h (1.95±0.73) (p=0.024). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the "looks and behaves" (2.73±0.80 vs. 2.72±0.91; p=0.962) and "relationship and parental role" scales (3.31±1.08 vs. 3.58±1.18; p=0.484).

Conclusions: Our study demonstrated higher levels of maternal stress after preterm birth in mothers, who had been admitted to hospital for longer periods of time before delivery. Interventional programmes starting in the antepartum period should be established in order to reduce the burden of stress and to improve parental-child interaction.

Keywords: Antepartum hospital stay; Maternal stress; Prematurity.