Stress levels and dimensions among mothers of newborns in Neonatal Intensive Care Units
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36517/2175-6783.20262796457Keywords:
Mothers; Stress, Psychological; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Infant, Newborn; Psychological Tests.Abstract
Objective: to assess the level and dimensions of stress among mothers of newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units. Methods: this cross-sectional, analytical, exploratory study included 81 mothers. Data were collected using the Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which had been translated, adapted, and validated for use with the Brazilian population. The scale comprises three dimensions: “Sights and Sounds,” “Infant Appearance and Behaviour,” and “Parental Role Alteration.” Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. Results: the "Sights and sounds" dimension showed the lowest levels of maternal stress, with means of 2.46 and 2.40 and a classification of low stress. The "Infant appearance and behavior" dimension indicated moderate stress (means: 3.40 and 3.21). Conversely, the "Parental role alteration" dimension showed the highest scores (means: 4.32 and 4.31), which indicates high stress. Overall, the mean was 3.43 (metric 1) and 3.32 (metric 2), which indicates moderate stress. Conclusion: mothers experienced high levels of stress, particularly related to parental role alteration. Contributions to practice: such findings highlight the need for strategies to identify and reduce maternal stress, which should promote greater parental involvement, improve communication, and provide emotional support within the neonatal intensive care environment.
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The authors declare that data supporting the findings of this study are fully presented within the article.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Emanuel Thomaz de Aquino Oliveira, Maria Carolina da Silva Costa, Gerarlene Ponte Guimarães Santos, Amanda Lúcia Barreto Dantas, Girlene Ribeiro da Costa, Márcia Teles de Oliveira Gouveia
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