1. Objectifs

Intentions :
The objective of this study is «[t]o compare the psychosocial adjustment and the quality of interaction with their infant of mothers and fathers of very low-birthweight infants at two time points in the first year of the infant’s life. » (p.
558)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« The following research questions were examined: (a) Do mothers and fathers of VLBW infants differ in their level of state anxiety, received support, perceived helpfulness of support, parenting self-efficacy, and sensitivity of their interaction with their infant? and (b) Do mothers’ and fathers’ state anxiety, received and perceived helpfulness of support, and parenting self-efficacy change from 3 to 9 months? » (p. 560)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
The participants are «[s]ixty-one couples who had an infant born weighing less than 1,500 g [...] [in n]eonatal Intensive Care Unit of two Canadian urban hospitals. » (p. 560)

Instruments :
- The « State-Trait Anxiety Inventory » (STAI) Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983);
- the « Parenting Sense of Competence questionnaire » (PSOC) Gibaud-Wallston and Wandersman’ s (1978);
- the « Support in Parenting Questionnaire (SIP) » (Feeley, Gottlieb, & Zelkowitz, 2005);
- the « Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale » (NCATS)(Sumner & Spietz, 1994). (p. 558)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« Children born very low birthweight (VLBW) weigh less than 1,500 g and are typically born prematurely, some as early as 16 weeks before term. Approximately 60,000 children per year are born VLBW in the United States (Martin et al., 2006) and 3,300 in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2006). [...] This study extends previous research in this area by comparing mothers and fathers at two points in time in their infants’ first year of life and by limiting the sample to parents of VLBW infants. [...] Fathers’ reported parenting self-efficacy was significantly lower than mothers’ at both 3 and 9 months of age. Fathers reported more received support than mothers, and the amount of support that both mothers and fathers reported increased significantly from the 3-month to the 9-month assessment. Mothers and fathers reported similar levels of anxiety and perceived helpfulness of the support they received and were equally sensitive and responsive in interactions with their infants at 9 months of age. Similarities and differences between mothers and fathers were observed. It is important for nurses to assess mothers and fathers, how any differences are perceived by the couple, and how any differences might be affecting them during the neonatal intensive care unit hospitalization and in early months after discharge. » (pp. 558; 560)