Search

Background: Postpartum depressive (PPD) symptoms in mothers of preterm NICU infants are a health crisis. Mothers are at risk for mental suffering and infants are at risk for negatively altered development. Purpose: To investigate relationships between mothers' PPD symptoms and parent - infant contact in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: Design: mixed- methods, sequential, explanatory study Participants: Convenience sample: 26 NICU mothers of infants 28-32 6/7 weeks. Setting: 2 level IV NICUs. Data Collection: The Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) administered at 14 and 28 postnatal days of life to measure PPD symptoms. Parent-infant contact recorded for 4 weeks. A qualitative interview was conducted with mother on day of life 28. Analysis: Descriptive statistics: demographic data, parent-infant contact, PDSS scores; correlations: parent-infant contact with PDSS scores; Krippendorff's content analysis: interviews. Results: Mothers: 31.2 ± (SD 6) years, infants: 30.6 ± (SD 1.6) weeks; mothers had overall more contact with infant than fathers; hours of maternal and paternal contact were significantly correlated: (r = .424 - .810; p < .05 - < .001); types of maternal and paternal contacts were significantly correlated: (r = .499 - .658; p < .05 -< .01); 70% of mothers had elevated PDSS scores at 14 and 28 days. Younger maternal age and less education was significantly correlated with higher PDSS subscale scores; maternal diaper changing and paternal holding and skin-to-skin were significantly correlated with PDSS scores. Combined maternal-paternal infant contacts were significantly correlated with PDSS subscale scores. Qualitative themes independent of PDSS scores: contact with infant, infant itself, NICU staff, mother herself, support, and NICU environment. Conclusions/Implications: NICU mothers are suffering from elevated PPD symptoms. Several maternalY paternal-infant contacts indicate strong relationships to PPD symptoms. Implications: Research needs to focus on NICU maternal PPD symptoms and the impact of parental-infant contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]