PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY IN MOTHERS OF INFANTS IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU)
Abstract
Aim: To assess psychiatric morbidity in a mother whose infants are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Settings and Design: The study is an observational analytic study. The study was conducted in neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital.
Methods and Material: Sample for the study comprised of fifty (50) consecutive mother, including 36 preterm and 14 terms whose infant were admitted to Neonatal intensive care unit and who provided written informed consent were included in the study. They were followed-up from 2 weeks post-delivery to 3 months post-discharge by phone and when they came for review in pediatric out-patient Department (OPD). Statistical analysis used: SPSS 16.
Results: The mothers with preterm infants had significantly higher rate of psychiatric morbidity during hospitalization than the group with full-term infants but the morbidities reduced significantly after discharge.
Conclusions: The health staff in a neonatal intensive care unit should not only be aware of infants' clinical status but also of the mothers' emotional state. Key messages: In a conventional scenario of Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) focus is always the infant and mother’s psychological health is not recognized or not taken into account despite it is grossly affected. The emotional distress of the mother negatively affects the relationships between parent and child and development of the child in early childhood and at school age. Hence, screening of these mothers for psychiatric morbidity should be made mandatory for appropriate intervention.
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References
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