Post-traumatic stress disorder in mothers of preterm infants within corrected 6 months and the influencing factors / 中国实用护理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the trend of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the mothers of preterm infants within 6 months and analyze the related factors.Methods:There were 171 mothers of premature infants selected by convenience sampling method who received outpatient follow-up from Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University from July 2018 to November 2019. The mothers were evaluated by post-traumatic stress disorder questionnaire from corrected age 1 month to 6 months of preterm infants, and the general data, maternal anxiety and family management were investigated as well. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the influencing factors of post-traumatic stress disorder for preterm infants within corrected 6 months.Results:The incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder in mothers of premature infants was significantly higher than the domestic norm. The incidence was 35.09%(60/171) in 1 month and the highest score was 4.80 ± 2.09, and then gradually decreased to 12.06%(17/141) in 6 months, with an average score of 3.41 ± 1.82. The results of linear regression analysis showed that the birth weight of preterm infants, hospital stay and the age of the mother, the maternal anxiety score, the Family Management Measure score, re-hospitalization after discharge were the influencing factors of the maternal PTSD score ( t values were -247 - 3.08, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in mothers of preterm infants within 6 months is higher. Although the incidence gradually decreases over time, it is still significantly higher than the average level, which deserves clinical attention. The mothers of premature infants with low birth weight, long hospital stay and young mothers should be alert to the occurrence of PTSD. During the hospitalization of premature infants, family participatory nursing should be provided as much as possible to improve mothers′ confidence in caring. Alleviating mother′s anxiety, maintaining good family relationship, improving family management ability and providing continuous nursing service after discharge are beneficial to prevent mother from having post-traumatic stress disorder.