Relationships between maternal factors, separation time, paternal support and severity of illness in newborn with respiratory distress and mother-infant bonding
Abstract:
The purposes of this research were to examine the relationships between maternal factors including age and education, separation time, paternal support, and severity of illness in newborn with respiratory distress and mother-infant bonding and to determine abilities of the selected factors in predicting mother-infant bonding. One hundred and ten subjects who were mothers of newborn with respiratory distress (RD) were selected through convenience sampling method. Data collection tools including maternal factor questionnaires, record of separation time, paternal support scale, severity of illness scale, and mother-infant bonding scale were content validated. The paternal support scale, severity of illness scale, and mother-infant bonding scale were tested for reliability from which the Cronbach's alpha were 0.83, 0.86, and 0.79, respectively. Statistical techniques used were percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson's product moment correlation, and multiple regression. Main findings were as follows : 1. Maternal factors including age and education were not significantly correlated with mother-infant bonding. Separation time in newborn with RD was negatively correlated with mother-infant bonding at significant level below .05 (r = -.20 p< .05). Paternal support and severity of illness in newborn with RD were significantly correlated with mother-infant bonding at moderate and mild level, respectively (r = .40 p< .05, r = .25 p< .05). 2. For the predictive abilities, all predictors together accounted for 20 percents of the variance in predicting mother-infant bonding (R2 = .20 p< .05). The results indicated that paternal support and separation time in newborn with RD were predictors of the mother-infant bonding (Beta = .33 p < .05, Beta = -.20 p < .05). The results from this study indicate the important contribution that paternal support and separation time in newborn with RD would explain mother-infant bonding. It can be used as guideline for nursing intervention to promote mother-infant bonding in newborn unit.