The effects of a blended educational, supportive, and follow-up infantile colic program on parents' care burden: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Infantile colic (IC) imposes multifactorial problems on the parents, and appropriate interventions are needed to alleviate the care burden. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of an educational, supportive, and follow-up IC program on the parents' caregiver burden (CB). Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted with 64 parents whose infants suffered from IC. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 32). The intervention group received a blended educational, supportive, and follow-up intervention for 2 weeks. The control group received routine care. Caregiver burden was assessed on three occasions, before, immediately after, and 1 month after the intervention, using the Zarit Burden Scale. Data were analyzed through repeated-measures analysis of variance, independent-samples t-test, Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Mann–Whitney U tests. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean scores of CB in the two groups measured immediately and 1 month after the interventions (P < 0.001). The mean score of CB was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group after the intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The blended educational, supportive, and follow-up program could help alleviate parental care burden. Implementing such a program is recommended to reduce CB and associated problems among parents.