Parents' perceptions of the psychological and social impact of home monitoring

Self-assessments of 133 parents' (74 families) feelings, perceptions, reactions to stresses, and satisfactions during a period of electronic home monitoring are reported. Data were collected during structured interviews by students in a graduate social work program. Although extreme anxiety was...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics (Evanston) 1980-07, Vol.66 (1), p.37-41
Main Authors: Cain, L P, Kelly, D H, Shannon, D C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Home Nursing - psychology
Humans
Infant
Marriage
Monitoring, Physiologic
Parents - psychology
Perception
Sleep Apnea Syndromes - psychology
Social Environment
Stress, Physiological - etiology
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Summary:Self-assessments of 133 parents' (74 families) feelings, perceptions, reactions to stresses, and satisfactions during a period of electronic home monitoring are reported. Data were collected during structured interviews by students in a graduate social work program. Although extreme anxiety was prevalent initially, only 27.4% of the parents felt they were very anxious beyond the first month. Social life was restricted in 55.7% but job attendance was seldom affected. Only four parents felt very irritated by the increased demands of the monitored baby. The majority (72.9%) said that the monitor made them feel more comfortable with their baby. Only 14.2% felt that their marriage relationship worsened during the period of monitoring; two couples separated. Most supportive to parents were their spouses, least supportive were friends and relatives. With availability of a psychosocial support system, electronic home monitoring of infants can be conducted by parents without constant and extreme anxiety and, in their judgment, can even be a satisfying experience.
ISSN:0031-4005
1098-4275
DOI:10.1542/peds.66.1.37