Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Iranian parent‑staff communication and parental stress in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Authors

. Marzieh Hasanpour 1
. Mousa Alavi 2
. Fatemeh Azizi 3
. Heidelise Als 4
. Amir Mohmmad Armanian 5

1 PhD in Nursing, Department of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran,

2 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Student Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

4 Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Neurobehavioral Infant and Child Studies, Enders Pediatric Research Laboratories, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

5 Departement of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran,

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The birth of an infant requiring hospitalization in the neonatal Intensive Care
Unit (NICU) uniformly is reported to be stressful for parents and family members. This study aimed
to determine parent–staff communication in the NICU and its relationship to parent stress.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and three Iranian parents with preterm infants
hospitalized in the NICU participated in this descriptive‑correlational study. The participants were
selected by the quota sampling method. Data collected included a three‑part: questionnaire, the
first part covered demographic parent and infant information, the second was the Parent–Staff
Communication Scale (the score of which ranged from 0 to 180), and the third was the Parental
Stress Scale (the score of which ranged from 0 to 102). Descriptive and inferential statistics including
the Pearson’s correlation coefficient test were applied to the data, using SPSS software Version 16.
RESULTS: This study revealed that fathers and mothers’ stress and communication scores were
almost comparable and both higher than expected. The total mean score of the two main variables,
i.e., parent–staff communication and parental stress were, respectively, 100.72 ± 18.89 and
75.26 ± 17.6. A significant inverse correlation was found between parental stress and parent–staff
communication scores (r = −0.144, P = 0.041).
CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study finding showed that better parent–staff communication is related
to lower parent stress scores, it is recommended that nurses and physicians receive specific skill training
for the establishment of effective parent–staff communication. It is anticipated that such improved staff
skills will help decrease parent stress and therewith likely promote parent and infant health in the NICU.

Keywords

Infant
Iran
neonatal Intensive Care Unit
parental stress
parent–staff communication
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 7, Issue 3
May and June 2017
Pages 1-7

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