Abstract:
The objective of this research was to study risk and protective factors affecting family functioning of mothers with preterm infants. Protective factors for the were study are the family income, participation of mothers in preterm infant care while in the hospital, marital relationship, and the knowledge and understanding on infant behaviors. The risk factor for the was study is the maternal stress. The sample consisted of 100 mothers with preterm infants, 2-4 months old, at the Well Baby clinic, Sawanpracharak Hospital, and the center for Health Promotion of Mothers and Infants, Nakhon Sawan Province. The employed research instrument was a questionnaire consisting of personal data of the mothers, the infants, participation of the mothers in infant care in the hospital, marital relationship, knowledge and understanding on infant behaviors, maternal stress, and family functioning. Statistics for data analysis included the percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis.The results of the study showed that the mothers with preterm infants carried out family functioning at the moderate level. Marital relationship, and knowledge and understanding on infant behaviors significant influenced the family functioning of the mothers with preterm infants, at the .05 level. Two factors were able to explain the variance of the family functioning of the mothers with pretern infants at 33.1%.