Perception and Emotions of Mothers of High-risk Newborn Infants

The purpose of this study was to defined mothers perception of their infants when the babies were high-risk babies, and to describe the feelings and responses of the mothers following on the birth of high-risk babies and on their hospitalization. The subjects of the study were 30 mothers of high-risk infants at D and M Hospital of E University. Data were collected between August 1993 and June 1994. Using the Neonatal Perception Inventory (NPI) devised by Broussard to determine the perception of mothers and an open-ended, semi-structured interview which was conducted in the nursery room within 24 to 72 hours after delivery. And NPI tested 1 month after the babies were discharged from the NICU also. Data were analyzed using SAS and content analysis. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The mothers tended to perceive their infants positively, regardless of the condition of the infant. Mothers who perceived their infant negatively were slightly increased at 1 month after the babies were discharged from the NICU, but the difference was not statistically significant. 2. Mothers reported that they thought that the newborn can see and hear well, and also they can express themselves. 3. There were many types of response noted such as anxiety, fear, helplessness, pity, resentment, guilt, resignation, hope, relief, appreciation, and feelings of being able to overcome the situation. These were differentiated into postive and negative responses. The finding of positive responses being expressed by mother of high-risk infants while their infants were in NICU was a unique finding especially, appreciation and feelings of being able overcome the situation. The results suggest the need for replication studies and for research on nursing interventions directed at improving the quality of life of high-risk infants and their mother.