hrvatski

Some determinants of well-being among mothers of preterm infants

A normal pregnancy usually ends in childbirth between the 37th and 42nd weeks of pregnancy. A birth that begins before the 37th week is considered premature birth. About 2500 children are born prematurely annually in Croatia, but the public awareness of the problems and consequences that their newborns and their parents face is extremely low. Prematurely born children (the so-called “Palčići” in our country) are particularly vulnerable in their infant age and during early development, which is why their parents face many challenges. The main aim of this study was to determine the relation of some sociodemographic characteristics of the mother (e.g. mother’s age) and the characteristics of childbirth (e.g. gestational age of the child at birth) with some aspects of maternal well-being (stress, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction and post-traumatic growth). The study involved mothers with one child that was born prematurely (N = 161), with an average age of 33 years. The average age of the prematurely born children were 3 years, they were born 2 months before the term, and they were treated on the neonatal intensive care unit on the average of 44 days. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Post-traumatic Growth Questionnaire, and Social Support Scale have been applied. Correlation analyzes showed that measures of age (mother’s and child’s age) did not correlate significantly with maternal well – being measures, whereas subjective assessment of the mother’s own health status was significantly and negatively correlated with some aspects of maternal well-being. That is, mothers who evaluate their own health as well are more satisfied with life and show less symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. Furthermore, greater satisfaction with life is shown by mothers whose children have no developmental disabilities. When it comes to childbirth characteristics, the gestational age of a child at childbirth is significantly negatively correlated with post-traumatic growth, with higher growth seen by mothers who gave birth to a premature baby with lower gestational age. Accordingly, higher posttraumatic growth is indicated by mothers who have spent more days with their infant in the neonatal intensive care unit.

premature birth, mental health, post-traumatic growth

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