Kangaroo Holding and Maternal Stress
Condition: Premature Birth; Maternal Stress
MeSH terms: Premature Birth
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The primary objective is to determine if kangaroo holding in the first week after birth
      influences the stress levels of mothers who have delivered their infants prematurely and who
      require admission to the Special Care Nursery (SCN).

      Hypothesis: There will be a decrease in maternal stress levels as perceived by mothers and as
      reflected in their blood pressures and heart rates after kangaroo holding their premature
      infants in the SCN.
    

Detailed description: 
      This study builds on known observations by previous researchers that the birth and
      hospitalization of premature infants creates stressful events in the lives of parents
      (Shields-Poe & Pinelli, 1997). The challenge for health care workers is to provide for the
      physical and psychological needs of infants within a highly technological setting such as the
      SCN. It is necessary to facilitate effective bonding between parents and infants. Effective
      bonding is linked with successful parenting role development. Stress can alter the
      development of a positive parental role.

      Kangaroo holding, or skin-to-skin holding, involves placing a diaper clad infant vertical and
      prone between a mother's breasts (Affonso, 1993). As evidenced by the literature, stress can
      have an altering effect on the maternal attachment role psychologically and place physical
      demands on the cardiovascular system. Kangaroo care is one variable that may change the
      perception of maternal stress during preterm hospitalization by assisting mothers to gain
      control of the parental role, permitting maternal bonding and reducing maternal separation as
      well as potentially decreasing the allostatic load as associated with physiologic stress.

      This study will compare maternal perceived stress levels before and after kangaroo holding
      during the first week of life. Mothers who are enrolled in this study will be asked to
      Kangaroo hold their infants at least two times during the first week of life. The first
      kangaroo hold will take place with the first 48 hours of life. The second kangaroo hold will
      take place between day of life five and seven. Mothers may kangaroo hold their infants more
      than two times, however this study will only examine the kangaroo holding sessions that take
      place at the two times specified above. This study includes both physiologic and psychologic
      measurements. Mothers will have their blood pressure and heart rate measured before and after
      each of the two kangaroo holding sessions. These mothers will also be asked to complete a
      self-report stress inventory scale prior to the first kangaroo holding session (first 48
      hours of infant's life) and again after the second kangaroo holding session (infant's day of
      life five to seven).
    

Intervention name(s): Kangaroo Holding
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Mothers will be asked to Kangaroo hold their infants two times during the first week of life.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Keywords: Kangaroo holding; Kangaroo care; Maternal stress levels; Premature birth