Assessment of Stressors in Parents of Premature Neonates Hospitalized at NICU of Ali-Ibn-Abitaleb Hospital of Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2021: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: The hospitalization of premature neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is very stressful for parents. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the stressors in parents of premature neonates hospitalized at the NICU in Ali-Ibn-Abitaleb Hospital of Rafsanjan, Kerman, Iran, within November 2020 to September 2021. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the NICU of Ali-Ibn-Abitaleb Hospital of Rafsanjan. A total of 204 parents with premature neonates admitted to the NICU were selected by the convenience sampling method. The data collection tool was a demographic data form and the Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistic tests, such as the one-sample t-test, by SPSS software (version 22). Results: The most stressful item was in the “sights and sounds” domain belonging to “sudden alarm noises” for both parents, and “needles and tubes put in” in the “neonate’s behavior” domain. The major causes of stress in “parental role alterations” subscales were relevant to “feeling helpless about how to help neonate” and “being separated from neonate” in fathers and mothers, respectively. The comparison of parental stress scores in the total scale for mothers and fathers showed that mothers had higher stress scores in “sights and sounds” and “neonate’s behavior” domains; however, fathers’ scores were higher in “parental role alterations” without any significant differences (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Parents of premature neonates deal with NICU stress levels. Nurses’ manners concerning parents play a major role in handling the stressed situation.