Parenting stress and development of late preterm infants at 4 months corrected age

Abstract

Parenting stress has been linked to child development issues in early preterm infants, but less is known about its effects on development in infants born late preterm. We examined relationships between parenting stress of 108 mothers and 108 fathers and development of late preterm infants born at 34 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks gestation. At 4 months corrected age, mothers and fathers completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI‐3); mothers were primary caregivers in almost all families and completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ‐2) on child development. Mothers reported significantly more stress than fathers on the PSI‐3 Parent Domain. PSI‐3 subscale scores from the Child Domain were significant predictors of mother‐reported infant development as measured by the ASQ‐2 in regression models: Reinforces Parent predicted Gross Motor, Mood predicted Communication, and Acceptability predicted Communication, Fine Motor, Problem Solving, and Personal ‐Social development scale scores. Experiences of parenting stress differed for mothers and fathers. Further research is required on specific dimensions of parenting stress related to development of late preterm infants.

Transitional care experiences of caregivers of preterm infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit: A qualitative descriptive study

“…This is consistent with findings from Mughal et al. ( 2017 ). At the same time, parents, as the main support of their children, directly affect the quality of life of the children.…”

“…Furthermore, the findings from the present study indicated parents showed negative emotions such as anxiety and depression when the child was ill. This is consistent with findings from Mughal et al (2017). At the same time, parents, as the main support of their children, directly affect the quality of life of the children.…”

“…To create the semi‐structured interview, we consulted five paediatric newborn nurses and referred to systematic reviews of the related literature (Barlow et al., 2018 ; Gad et al., 2017 ; Mughal et al., 2017 ). Initially, a preliminary interview of five caregivers was conducted.…”

Reflective functioning in fathers with young children born preterm and at term

“…The study also focused on children who were born preterm (in addition to children born at term) to examine a context in which parenting may be especially challenging, given that preterm children struggle to interact as well as to regulate emotions which can cause parenting stress (e.g. Mughal et al, 2017;Singer et al, 2003). In the search for specific parenting influences, the present study focused on the capacity to mentalize and captured the reflective functioning (RF) score of the parents.…”

“…Past research has shown that children born preterm cause parenting stress because they interact less responsively and clearly (e.g. Mughal, Ginn, Magill-Evans, & Benzies, 2017;Singer et al, 2003). Evidently, children born preterm have not yet developed the capacities to form and maintain interactions as well as to regulate emotions (e.g.…”