The objective was to assess stress in fathers of preterm infants and use of “Kangaroo Father Care (KFC)” to mitigate it.
STUDY DESIGN:
Stress levels of 30 fathers of preterm infants admitted in the NICU were assessed using the parental stressor scale: neonatal intensive care unit (PSS: NICU) before and after three sessions of KFC. The data was analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank sum test.
RESULT:
There was a statistically significant reduction in stress levels after KFC (p = 0.006). Amongst all the four subscales, stress levels were found to be reduced in ‘staff behaviour and communication’ (p = 0.001) domain and ‘baby looks and behaves’ domain (p = 0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Fathers of preterm infants admitted in the NICU experience a lot of stress, which can adversely affect their mental health. Kangaroo care is very effective in reducing this paternal stress levels.
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