The Effect of Home-visit Training Program on the Maternal Anxiety of Preterm Infants: A Clinical Trial Study

Background Infants’ discharge from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) creates high level of anxiety for parents, especially mothers; therefore, some strategies are needed to reduce parental anxiety. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of home-visit training program on the anxiety of mothers of preterm infants. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, 70 mothers whose preterm infants were discharged from the NICU of Ayatollah Rouhani and Amirkola Children's Hospitals in 2018 were divided into intervention and control groups (n=35 in each) based on inclusion criteria. The premature infant care package was presented to the mothers in the intervention group using lectures, practical education, and pamphlets through four sessions held twice a week at their homes. The mothers of both groups completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) after infants’ discharge and one month after training sessions. Results: Mean age of mothers was 29.17±6.05 and 29.09±6.56 years in intervention and control groups, respectively. Mean gestational age was 33±2.27 and 32.76±2.92 weeks in intervention and control groups, respectively. The mothers of the two groups did not differ in age and other demographic factors (P>0.05). In the intervention group, the mean anxiety decreased from 88.77± 15.53 before the intervention to 64.02 ±11.9 after the intervention, but in the control group, it enhanced from 80.25±20.33 to 103.05±26.69 the difference was significant (p >0.001). Conclusion It seems that home-visit training program decreases maternal anxiety of preterm infants; it can be used as a supportive care to decrease maternal anxiety.