Developmental and medical factors associated with parenting stress in mothers of toddlers born very preterm in a neonatal follow-up clinic

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory, cross‐sectional study was to identify child‐related factors associated with maternal parenting stress in toddlers born very preterm and followed in a neonatal follow‐up (NFU) clinic. The study aimed to describe the associations of current medical complications and presence of developmental delays with total parenting stress. Participants were 53 mother–child dyads presenting in a NFU clinic. Mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index‐Short Form (PSI‐SF), and children were administered the Brigance Early Head Start Screen II. Medical variables were also collected from the child's medical record. Approximately 24% of mothers had at least one elevated subscale score on the PSI‐SF. Regression analyses indicated that receipt of early intervention services was associated with increased parenting stress among mothers of toddlers born very preterm, though number of current medical complications was not. Parents of children born very preterm are at increased risk for parenting stress that extends beyond discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit . Clinicians working in NFU clinics are positioned to monitor for increased parenting stress, particularly among families of children with emerging signs of developmental delay.