Recognition of maternal identity in preterm and fullterm mothers.

The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive study was to investigate the maternal role attainment process of the preterm mother by comparing the endpoint of the process--maternal identity--in preterm and fullterm mothers. Forty-two first-time mothers, 21 preterm mothers and 21 fullterm mothers, were interviewed once at approximately one year post-birth. Qualitative and quantitative phenomena were examined. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were collected with instruments that measured maternal role attainment variables. Content analysis of the maternal identity recognition event revealed eight commonly discussed themes. Analysis of the quantitative data revealed no statistically significant relationships between length of gestation and any of the maternal role attainment variables. Also, no difference was found between preterm and fullterm mothers in the mean timing of the recognition of maternal identity. However, a 10-week difference in the median timing of maternal identity recognition was found. Sixty-two percent of the fullterm mothers recognized a maternal identity by two weeks after delivery, whereas only 24% of the preterm mothers experienced maternal identity recognition within this time frame. A statistically significant relationship was found between the timing of maternal identity recognition and maternal affective perception of the infant. The more positive the maternal affective perception of the infant, the earlier was the timing of maternal identity recognition. The study concluded that preterm mothers experienced a maternal role attainment process similar to fullterm mothers except that identity recognition was relatively delayed. The themes described by the preterm mothers tended to be qualitatively different and focused on denied maternal role experiences, especially denied contact with the infants and denied rights in relation to the infants.