THE EFFECTS ON NICU NURSES OF LABELING PARENTS OF PREMATURE INFANTS (NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT).
Contributors: State University of New York at Buffalo.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 109
Subjects: Psychology, Developmental.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: There has been extensive research on the effects of expectations on the perception of and behavior toward others. In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), nurses have expectations about premature infants that affect how they perceive and subsequently handle these infants. It is known that caring for infants and their families in the NICU is not done in a value-free way. Anecdotal research has shown that nurses view parents with a critical, judgmental eye. The question remains as to the impact of neonatal nurses' expectations of parents and how these expectations may affect their perceptions of the infant and the parent-infant interaction.

Study 1 investigated whether NICU nurses regard parents of infants in their care differently based on a description or label of that parent. The parental qualities of competent/not competent and troublemaker/no troublemaker were varied systematically in this 2 x 2 design. 104 NICU registered nurses from Level II and Level III NICU's read one of four descriptive paragraphs of a mother and premature infant they were about to see in a videotape sequence. Following the videotape review, they filled out a questionnaire that asked them to evaluate the mother, the infant, and the interaction between the mother and the infant. Analysis of variance revealed that the "ideal" mother condition (e.g. competent and not a troublemaker) resulted in significantly more positive nurse ratings of the mother and the mother-infant interaction than in the other three conditions. Nurse ratings of the infant were not affected by the different descriptions.

Study 2 investigated whether the nurses evaluations of the mother had an impact on the quality of care provided to the infant. 18 Level II NICU registered nurses were observed during and after a medical intervention with a premature infant. Nurses then filled out a questionnaire asking them to evaluate the competence of the mother of that infant. Correlational analyses between nurse ratings of parents and nurse's behavior revealed no significant correlations on any of the measures.

Results of the two studies suggest that despite their professional training, nurses are susceptible to the negative effects of labeling, at least as it pertains to evaluating the mother of a premature infant. However, neither the evaluation of the infant, nor behavior directed toward that infant appear to be affected by the description of the mother.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-06, Section: B, page: 4060.

Thesis (PH.D.)--STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO, 1996.

School code: 0656.