Determine The Level Of Stress Experienced By The Mothers Of Babies Who Were Admitted To The NICU During The Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Background: Worldwide During the COVID-19 pandemic, several health implications affecting the psychological health were reported among vulnerable populations. These findings need to be investigated further among high-risk neonates and their mothers. Materials and the Methods: After obtaining ethical clearance from the Ethical committee at the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Deemed to Be University in Karad and obtaining informed consent from the participants, a descriptive study was carried out using the convenient sampling method to select fifty mothers whose neonates were being cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital. This study was carried out with the intention of gathering information about the participants. Structured questionnaire and Stress scale- A 21-item DASS questionnaire that was given to moms of newborns admitted to the NICU in order to examine demographic variables as well as the level of stress they were experiencing. Result(s) The findings showed that 50% of the newborn babies are in serious condition, 42% are in an improving condition, and 8% of the newborn babies are in good condition. During the time that their babies were being treated in the NICU, a total of 94% of moms had extremely severe levels of stress, and 6% of mothers experienced severe levels of stress. Conclusion(s) The findings of the study led the researchers to the conclusion that the majority of the mothers experienced moderate to severe stress as a result of the admission of their newborns to the NICU during the influenza pandemic. It was necessary to create an Information Booklet in order to lower the degree of stress that moms experience. Copyright © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.