Abstract
This study examined the relation among how parents appraised the premature birth of their infant, their coping strategies, social support, and psychological well-being and parental efficacy pre- and post discharge of their low-risk premature infant from the hospital. Twenty-five couples completed a survey immediately prior to the discharge of their infant and approximately 3 months later. The strongest relations were among appraisal and both psychological distress and parental efficacy, with post-discharge psychological distress and parental efficacy related most strongly to appraising the situation as challenging with potential for growth pre-discharge. The results suggest that identifying the way parents appraise the situation may be useful for identifying at-risk families and informing interventions to assist families experiencing difficulties.
Notes
*p < .05.
**p < .01.
***p < .001.
ap < .08.
bScale alpha.