Parents of Preterm Infants and Coping Strategies Post Discharge

Abstract

Research has shown that parents of preterm infants demonstrate increased rates of parental stress in the NICU, continuing into the home environment (Roque et al., 2017; Lakshmanan et al., 2017). Occupational therapy interventions provided to parents in the NICU have been researched and found to decrease parental stress (John et al., 2018). There is a gap in the literature regarding interventions that aim to decrease parental stress and support role competence, in the home. The purpose of this study is to explore the strategies that parents of preterm infants utilize to cope with parental stress in the home. This study will be conducted using a quantitative descriptive survey design, with qualitative data to support the quantitative results. Identifying coping strategies utilized by parents of preterm infants will help OT practitioners better understand these parents' needs in the home environment; and in addition, will help to support the development of effective strategies/interventions, to decrease parental stress post discharge from the NICU.