[The Effectiveness of an Early Parental Sensitivity Intervention on Attachment, Parenting Confidence, and Parental Stress in Mothers of Preterm Infants].

Background: Preterm infants require specialized hospital care and are often separated from their parents, which may impact mother-infant attachment, parenting confidence, and parental stress negatively. Moreover, the vulnerability of preterm infants leads to lower parenting confidence among parents, increasing parental stress.

Purpose: This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of early parental sensitivity interventions on mother-infant attachment, parenting confidence, and parental stress in mothers of preterm infants.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted, with the participants, all mothers of preterm infants, assigned to either the experimental (n = 34) or control (n = 34) group. The control group received standard care instructions, while the experimental group received early parental sensitivity interventions, including a virtual reality tour of the neonatal intensive care unit, behavioral cue videos for premature infants, and participation in caregiving activities. The Maternal Attachment Inventory, Maternal Confidence Questionnaire, and Parental Stressor Scale: Infant Hospitalization were used to collect study data, with differences analyzed using generalized estimating equations.

Results: The experimental group showed higher average mother-infant attachment and parenting confidence and lower average parental stress than the control group during the third through fifth days after birth. However, no significant changes in these three variables were observed between the fifth day and one month after birth in either group.

Conclusions / implications for practice: The results of this study found that early intervention programs for mothers of preterm infants may not immediately establish attachment, build parenting confidence, or alleviate parental stress in a short period. It is recommended that the importance of continuous intervention be emphasized in future research.