Abstract
This pilot study identifies first-time mothers in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as a population with unmet needs, highlighting how multimodal, occupation-based education could offer targeted support to enhance maternal confidence in caregiving tasks.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sadie Jones
Additional Authors and Speakers: Amanda Troillett
Contributing Authors: Abby Simmons
Family-Centered Care is widely recognized as interdisciplinary best practice for caregiver support in the NICU (Lee, 2023; Urbina et al., 2024), but few studies address how caregivers, particularly first-time mothers, are supported and educated to engage in their infant’s care (Negarandeh et al., 2021). Phase 1 of this study showed that, on average, first-time mothers reported lower maternal confidence and self-efficacy than repeat mothers, indicating a need for additional support (n = 7). Phase 2 aims to assess the impact of multimodal, occupation-based education on maternal confidence in first-time versus repeat mothers, with the goal of informing occupational therapy (OT) support strategies for caregivers in the NICU. This quantitative, quasi-experimental study used a one group pretest-posttest design in a 34-bed Level III NICU as part of a doctoral capstone project. Participants were English-speaking mothers aged 18 or older with infants receiving OT services. The Maternal Confidence Questionnaire (MCQ) was administered before and after participants received occupation-based education (n = 4). Education methods utilized in each session were documented between the administration of each survey. Education modes included hands-on participation, teach-back, verbal education, demonstration, simulated occupations, self-assessment checklists, and printed handouts. Preliminary findings show that first-time mothers in the sample scored the same or lower than repeat mothers on the MCQ upon NICU admission. Despite variations in the mode and frequency of education, all participants experienced improved maternal confidence. This pilot study provides insights into the effectiveness of diverse, occupation-based education for supporting first-time mothers in the NICU. These findings highlight the need for continued research to develop evidence-based strategies that support mothers in the NICU, enhancing their confidence in caregiving tasks.
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Negarandeh, R., Hassankhani, H., Jabraeili, M., Abbaszadeh, M., & Best, A. (2021). Health care staff support for mothers in NICU: A focused ethnography study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 21, 520. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-021-03991-3
Urbina, T., Balasundaram, M., Coughlin, M., Sorrells, K., Toney-Noland, C., & Day, C. (2024). The why and how of family-centered care. NeoReviews, 25(7), e393–e400. https://doi.org/10.1542/neo.25-7-e393