Additional Resources
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What Stressors do Families Face?
The nature of a CHD means that parents must face �the immense psychologic and physiologic tasks of adjusting to the birth of a child with special needs� (Wong et al., 2003, p. 1502). Families are forced to deal with many emotions, changes, and stressors. Families must adjust very quickly from the excitement and joy of a new baby to dealing with the fear, shock, and grief that follows the diagnosis of a chronic illness in their newborn. According to Morelius et al. stress in parents of newborns with CHDs is higher than parents of children with other chronic illnesses and is much more significant than parents of healthy children. This stress inhibits parents� abilities to function and cope effectively. Stress is a result of many factors including feelings, the neonatal intensive care unit, and family.
Feelings
- Initially experience feelings of shock, uncertainty, anger, and fear
- Then begin to experience feelings of denial, guilt, and uncertainty
- Begin to grasp the scope of their child�s illness they worry about the uncertainty of the future and the newborns health outcomes
- Mothers experience guilt more often than other family members
- Parents must deal with combining the image of the �perfect� baby that they had imagined while they were pregnant with the reality that they are facing with the diagnosis of a medical problem
- Normally parents undergo a grieving process
NICU
- Parents fear the environment of the NICU
- The lights, sounds, and activities are new and unknown to parents
- Their child is surrounded by equipment and monitors and does not appear to be the newborn that they had anticipated
- The tubes and machines that babies are attached to dehumanize children and alter the body image that parents were expecting
- The NICU is an environment in which parents feel like outsiders, they are neither the primary caregivers of their child or professionally trained to care for infants
- They are wary of caring for their infant in fear of harming the baby
- Congenital heart defect babies who are blue can be very frightening for parents to look at
- The noises and alarms are the most disturbing aspect for parents
- It is the experience in this environment that contributes to parents feeling a lack of control
- Parents are often very stressed by the experience of separation with their newborn
- Maternal-child separation in the NICU leads to mothers feeling inadequate to care for their children
Family
- Financial strains of missed work and visiting, especially if the child is in a hospital out of town
- Siblings feel left out and resentful
- Dad normally feels both neglected and financially strained
- Mom feels pressured to appease everyone in the family
- Worry about the future and changing the family plans for the future
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[Background]
[Stressors]
[Coping]
[Attachment]
[Family as Client]
[Main]
References
Reichman, S.R., Cate-Miller, A., Gordon, R.M., & Hendricks-Munoz, K.D. (2001).
Stress appraisal and coping in mothers of NICU infants. Children�s Health Care, 29(4), 279-293.
Sydnor-Greenberg, N., Dokken, D., & Ahmann, E. (2000). Coping and caring in different ways: Understanding and meaningful involvement. Pediatric Nursing, 26(2), 185-191.
Wong, D.L., Hockenberry, M.J., Wilson, D., Winklestein, M.L.& Kline, N.E. (2003). Wong�s nursing care of infants and children. (7th ed.). Toronto: Mosby.
This site was built by Haylie A. Isaac, Kwantlen University College, Student Nurse, April 2003
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