BURDEN OF CARE AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN MOTHERS OF PRETERM BABIES SEEN AT A NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT IN ILORIN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Background: Mothers of preterm babies, especially those who have their babies admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit experience psychological upheavals associated with caring for their babies which may negatively impact on the quality of care they give. Objective: To assess the level of psychological distress and burden of care in mothers of preterm babies and their associated factors. Design: Cross-sectional Setting:The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University of Teaching Hospital Ilorin, Nigeria Participants: 144mothers of preterm babies. Outcome measures: Caregiver burden in mothers of preterm babies and its associated factors Results:16% experienced mild burden of care,74% experienced moderate burden, while 10% experienced high burden of care. Delivery by caesarean section (p= 0.011), taking breaks from care (p=0.001), belief that the baby will survive (p=0.045), and the no of previous children (p= 0.006), were significantly associated with a high level of burden experienced by mothers. Only the number of previous chidren of the respondents was predictive of a high burden of care (p= 0.036), Conclusion: The results of this study support strongly the urgent need for structured psychological support for mothers of preterm children in the neonatal intensive care unit.