Parental Stress and their Views about Pain and Pain Management of Infant Hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Tabriz Hospitals in 1395

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Today, family plays a key role in the assessment and management of pain. However, the viewpoint of parents regarding pain management varies, and there is not much knowledge about parental viewpoint or their participation in pain management of neonatal care admitted to the intensive care units. On the other hand, the parents of infants admitted to the neonatal ward are concerned that their infants are in pain and this concern may increase their stress. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim to. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the stress of parents and evaluate the viewpoints of mothers about pain management in infants who had been admitted to Tabriz hospitals.

Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study in which the perspective of 255 mothers whose infants admitted to Tabriz hospitals for Neonatal Care had been examined in the period of September 2016 to August 2017 using simple sampling method. Data were collected using demographic questionnaire and Parental Stress Scale Questionnaire parents' viewpoints on pain management in neonates. Sampling was carried out in an easy and accessible way, and the results were expressed as numbers and percentages. Results: The mean age of participated mothers in the study was 28.38 ± 6.10 years and the majority (39%) had diploma. In the NICU environment stress case, the findings indicated that the "sudden noise of the monitor's alarm" and "the presence of another infant under mechanical ventilation (respiratory by device)" were the most experienced stressors and, in the case of the stresses of appearance and behavior of the baby " "My baby is sad" and "When it seems that my baby is in pain", respectively, are the most common sources of stress and in the aspect of parenting with the child and the parenting roles of "being separate from my baby" and "lactation for my baby" "Accordingly, the highest stressors were reported by nursing mothers of NICU. 73 percent of mothers stated that their infants experienced pain during admission to NICU, however, only 19% of mothers said that nurses tried to find signs of pain in their infants; and the majority of mothers (80%) stated that they were somewhat satisfied with the information they received from the treatment team regarding pain control for their newborn.

Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that infant pain is one of the sources of stress in mothers of infants admitted to NICU. And despite the prevalence of pain phenomenon in neonates, mothers' education for the signs of pain in their infants was inadequate and the participation of mothers in pain management of newborn makes them more capable for caring after discharge from the hospital.