Effects of intermittent kangaroo care on maternal attachment, postpartum depression of mothers with preterm infants

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To reveal the effect of intermittent kangaroo care on maternal attachment, postpartum depression of mothers with preterm infants.

Methods

The study was conducted as a single centre randomised controlled study with sixty mothers whose newborns were hospitalised in the NICU due to prematurity. The data were collected by the questionnaire form, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI). ‘Intermittent kangaroo care’ was applied for 30 minutes once a day for 10 days to the experimental group. Women were completed the EPDS and the MAI in postpartum 30–40th days.  

Results

The median of the total score of EPDS in the experimental group was 7, and in the control group was 9 (p > 0.05). The median of the total score of MAI in the experimental group was 99, and in the control group was 97 (p <0.05) and it was determined that the effect size of the difference between the groups was medium (1-β: 0.65, Cohen’s d: 0.532).   

Conclusion

It was determined that mothers who received intermittent kangaroo care had higher scores that can be interpreted as higher maternal attachment than others and the postpartum depression scores did not differ between experimental and control group.

KEYWORDS:

• Kangaroo care
• maternal attachment
• postpartum depression
• mothers
• NICU

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Statement of financial support

The authors have not received any specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Originality

This work is original, not previously published, and not submitted for publication or consideration elsewhere.

Author contributions

BH and ŞYS conceptualized and designed the study, completed data analysis, drafted the original manuscript, and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

Category of study

Clinical.

Data availability statement

Deidentified participant data are available on reasonable request, contacting to [email protected].

Ethical approval

Baskent University Ethics Commission (15/02/2017-17/10).