Year: 2026 | Month: May | Volume: 16 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 51-57
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260507
Parental Stresses of Newborns Hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a Teaching Hospital of Nepal
Pramila Mahato1, Chandani Malla2, Sabita Rai3, Richa Singh4, Jafre Alam Ansari5
1Lecturer, Department of Child Health Nursing, National Medical College Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal.
2Associate Professor, Department of Child Health Nursing, National Medical College Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal.
3Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrical and Gynecological Nursing, National Medical College Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal.
4Associate Professor, Department of Community Health Nursing, National Medical College Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal.
5Lecturer, Department of Community Health Nursing, National Medical College Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal.
Corresponding Author: Pramila Mahato
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The birth of a child is a joyful event; however, admission of a neonate to the NICU is often traumatic for parents. The unfamiliar environment, critical care setting, and use of complex medical equipment disrupt parents’ expectations and contribute to emotional distress. Parental stress is frequently overlooked, as care primarily focuses on the infant’s survival and treatment. The objective of the study was to examine the parental stress of newborns hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Methods: Stress levels were assessed using the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU) questionnaire among 107 parents of newborns admitted to the NICU through face-to-face interviews. Sampling was done by the purposive sampling method. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16. Categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages, while numerical variables were expressed as mean and standard deviations. An independent sample t-test was used to examine mean stress scores with selected demographic variables.
Results: The total stress score, which indicates the degree of parental stress experienced, was 3.14±0.58, whereas the mean scores for the subscales sights and sounds, baby looks and behaves, and relationship with the baby and parental role were 2.78±1.04, 2.96±0.75 & 3.76±0.63, respectively. Parental stress scores were higher in the nuclear family (3.26±0.56, p-value=0.015) compared to the joint family (3.05±0.58) and among those with a monthly income above twenty thousand (3.25±0.55, p-value=0.002) compared to those earning less than twenty thousand per month (2.88±0.58).
Conclusions: Parents experience more stress when their newborns are admitted to NICU; appropriate support and counseling are required to reduce the stress.
Key words: Parents, Stress, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), PSS: NICU