Stress and Coping Strategies Among Parents of Neonates Admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – a Hospital-Based Study

• Published in: Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 2022-12, Vol.5 (3)
• Main Authors: Ramu Maharjan, Mangala Shrestha, Gayatri Rai, Nirmala Pokhrel, Basanta Kumar Karna, Kriti Chaudhary, Bikram Adhikari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coping; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Parents; Stress
• ISSN: 2616-0064; 2676-1327

Background: Parents can experience feelings of guilt, helplessness, distress, fear, and anxiety whose neonates are admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) creating stressful family patterns and demanding coping mechanisms. This study aimed to assess stress and coping strategies among the parents of neonates admitted to NICU. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 parents of neonates admitted to NICU of BPKIHS, Dharan. Data was collected using Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU) for stress score, and Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Inventory for coping score through face-to-face interviews and entered and analyzed data in Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (version 16). Categorical variables were presented as frequency and percentage whereas numeric variables as mean and standard deviation, paired t-test was used to compare mean stress and coping scores of parents. An independent sample t-test was used to compare mean stress score and coping strategies with selected demographic variables. Results: Overall parental mean stress score was 3.14±0.48, higher among mothers compared to fathers (3.39±0.43; 2.89±0.37; p-value