2025 Volume 45 Pages 717-726
Objective: This study aimed to clarify the conceptual framework of social interactions that parents of low-birth-weight infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience from childbirth and how these interactions shape their transition to their child’s home care.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 mothers and 1 father raising their children at home, and data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach.
Results: Selective coding revealed that the transition of low-birth-weight infants to home care was associated with five other phenomena centered on the core category of “agreement with medical professionals,” including “the mother’s feelings in relation to the condition of the newborn,” “interaction tailored to the condition of the infant,” “flexible adaptation to the situation,” “realistic information gathering,” and “information about the condition of siblings provided by the parents as it is.”
Conclusion: The phenomenon of “agreement with medical professionals” during the transition to home care suggests that children and parents interact with medical professionals on an equal footing, leading to parents becoming more flexible in their attitudes toward their children and siblings and supported their ability to collect useful information.
