School of Nursing, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City 402306, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City 402306, Taiwan.
School of Nursing, China Medical University, Taichung City 406040, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City 406040, Taiwan.
Infant Behav Dev. 2023 Aug;72:101867. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101867. Epub 2023 Jul 27.
Infant massage enhances the growth and development of premature infants and promotes parent-child bonding. However, its effects on parental stress and parent-child attachment in premature infants, as well as gender differences thereof, remain unclear. In this randomized controlled trial, we used a repeated-measures design and included 61 premature infants (mean gestational age: 35.1 ± 1.5 weeks). Weight, parental stress, and parent-child attachment were measured at multiple time points: before massage and 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after commencing infant massage. The results revealed that the massage group infants had significantly higher weight gain than the control (no massage) group infants at all four time points. Moreover, parents in the massage group reported notably lower levels of stress than those in the control group, particularly in the parental distress and difficult children subscales. No significant between-group differences were observed in parent-child attachment. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between fathers and mothers in parental stress and parent-child attachment. However, fathers reported higher levels of distress than mothers at 4 and 12 weeks. In conclusion, infant massage led to increased infant weight and reduced parental stress over time, and differences between fathers and mothers were not significant, except fathers exhibiting higher levels of distress than mothers over time. Healthcare professionals should educate and support parents on infant massage before discharge of premature infants.
婴儿按摩可促进早产儿的生长发育，增进亲子关系。然而，其对早产儿父母压力和亲子依恋的影响，以及其中的性别差异，尚不清楚。在这项随机对照试验中，我们采用了重复测量设计，纳入了 61 名早产儿（平均胎龄：35.1±1.5 周）。在开始婴儿按摩之前和之后的 1、4、8 和 12 周，分别测量了体重、父母压力和亲子依恋。结果显示，在所有四个时间点，按摩组婴儿的体重增长明显高于对照组（无按摩）婴儿。此外，按摩组的父母报告的压力明显低于对照组，尤其是在父母困扰和困难儿童子量表上。亲子依恋方面两组间无显著差异。此外，父母压力和亲子依恋方面，父亲和母亲之间无显著差异。然而，父亲在 4 周和 12 周时报告的困扰程度高于母亲。总之，婴儿按摩可使婴儿体重随时间增加，父母压力降低，且父母之间差异不显著，除了父亲的困扰程度高于母亲。医护人员应在早产儿出院前对父母进行婴儿按摩的教育和支持。
