School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Infant Ment Health J. 2019 Jul;40(4):573-587. doi: 10.1002/imhj.21788. Epub 2019 May 1.
Parenting preterm infants is a unique experience distinct from parenting full-term infants, characterized by a delayed transition to parenthood and limited caregiving opportunities. This study explored mothers' and fathers' lived experiences of parenting during infancy in the context of preterm birth. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 parents (6 fathers, 7 mothers) of preterm infants. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four superordinate themes emerged: (a) An unnatural disaster: The traumatic nature of preterm birth, (b) The immediate aftermath: Disconnected and displaced, (c) Breaking the ice: Moving from frozen to melted, and (d) Aftershocks: Transitioning home. Both parents experienced preterm birth as traumatic. Similarities and differences in mothers' and fathers' experiences were identified. Preterm birth posed challenges for nurturant and social caregiving and resulted in anxiety, hypervigilance, and overprotective parenting behavior. The results highlight the need for trauma-informed care and further research developing and testing empirically based interventions.
父母照顾早产儿是一种独特的体验，与照顾足月婴儿不同，其特点是向父母角色的过渡延迟，以及有限的育儿机会。本研究探讨了早产儿出生背景下父母在婴儿期的育儿生活体验。对 13 名早产儿的父母（6 名父亲，7 名母亲）进行了半结构化定性访谈。使用解释现象学分析对数据进行了分析。出现了四个上位主题：（a）非自然灾难：早产的创伤性质，（b）直接后果：脱节和流离失所，（c）破冰：从冻结到融化，以及（d）余震：过渡回家。父母双方都经历了早产带来的创伤。确定了母亲和父亲经历的相似之处和不同之处。早产对养育和社会养育提出了挑战，导致焦虑、过度警惕和过度保护的育儿行为。研究结果强调了需要进行创伤知情护理，并进一步研究开发和测试基于实证的干预措施。
