Abstract
This study examines the characteristics and factors associated with feelings of difficulty in child rearing in mothers of preterm infants. Analysis was conducted on self-report questionnaires received from 23 mothers of preterm infants and the same number of full-term infants' mothers. The mean age of preterm infants was 6.3±2.7 months, mean gestational age 31.5±2.9 weeks, and mean birth weight 1456±478g. Although the child-rearing difficulties faced by mothers of preterm infants were comparable to those faced by mothers of full-term infants, many mothers of preterm infants tended to feel that their family members did not understand them during pregnancy, and that their husbands did not discuss child-rearing with them. The child-rearing difficulties faced by mothers of preterm infants had a positive correlation with anxiety and depression among mothers and their husbands' health; they had a negative correlation with the period after children's discharge. These results suggest that it is important for nurses to understand mothers' perceptions of infant-mother interaction and their social support, and to provide care in the early stages.
