Parental management of infants born following a cot-death victim who were monitored compared to infants who, despite similar histories, were not monitored: a controlled study.

We studied 93 families who had previously lost a baby to cot-death. Of these, 31 chose cardiorespiratory monitoring (CRM) for their next child and were compared to 62 families who, despite similar histories, decided not to monitor their subsequent infant. A control group consisted of 50 families without history of cot death. The three objectives of this retrospective study were: (1) to gain insight into psychological factors which differentiate between parents who insist on monitoring their infant and those who do not; (2) to explore how parents of both groups cope with their feelings of anxiety and stress and; (3) to examine the effect of psychological factors on parental reactions to monitor alarms. Infants of the monitor group and the nonmonitor group were matched to the age reached by the previous cot-death victims at the moment of death. Parents who had experienced cot-death (91%) and 37% of the control group parents completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a questionnaire, consisting mainly of multiple-choice questions. Results show that monitor parents and nonmonitor parents differ greatly in their expectations of and attributions to the equipment and in the way they process information about monitoring. More monitor parents attribute a protective value to CRM. Monitor parents reported to have been more stressed during pregnancy. Postnatally, monitor parents and nonmonitor parents did not experience different anxiety levels. Nonmonitor parents experienced a slight decrease of feelings of happiness over time. Mothers with high state anxiety scores noted more false bradycardia alarms than mothers with low scores.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)