Communication, Sleep Quality, Stress Reaction
Conditions
Brief summary
This study evaluates the effect of a late intervention of continuous skin-to-skin contact (SSC) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Half of the participants will receive the intervention and the other half will receive standard care.
Detailed description
The intervention is based on a method developed to facilitate closeness and human touch between parents and preterm infants in neonatal intensive care. Continuous skin-to-skin contact (SSC) means, in this study, that the late preterm infant is cared for skin-to-skin on the parents' chest, instead of in a heating-bed, 24 hours a day. The parents will take turns to care for the infant in SSC.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALContinuous skin-to-skin contact
Infants will rest in skin-to-skin contact on parents' chest 24 hours a day alternating between the parents. The parents will note who provides the SSC and if and for how long they are off SSC for any reason.
OTHERStandard Care
Infants will receive regular care in the NICU. Parents may practice SSC if they like. Parents will note if, with whom, and for how long they provide SSC.
Sponsors
Linkoeping University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Parents staying at the NICU with a single preterm infant born \<33 weeks of gestation * The family should have been transferred to family-room from intensive care * Swedish speaking parents
Exclusion criteria
* Infants with major congenital malformation, * Infants with intraventricular hemorrhage grade III-IV * Infants with chromosome defect that could affect the infant´s ability to interact. * Parents with sleeping disorder * Parents with psychiatric problem or drug use.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep quality | Day 1 to 5 | sleep diary every day for five days |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mood | day 2 to 5 | Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL) |
| Bonding | Baseline and 1-3 days before planned discharge from the NICU. | Mother to Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) |
| Depression | Baseline and 1-3 days before planned discharge from the NICU. | The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS |
| Anxiety | Baseline and 1-3 days before planned discharge from the NICU. | State Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI |
| Activity | Day 1-5 | Actigraph every day for five days |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed