JURNAL INTERNASIONAL KEBIDANAN 2020-2023 UNIVERSITAS KEDOKTERAN GUILAN VOLUME 31 ISSUE 1.
JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC NURSING OF MIDWIFERY
Relationship Between Social Support and Parents’Satisfaction With Medical Care Provided to Their Premature Infants

JURNAL INTERNASIONAL KEBIDANAN 2020-2023 UNIVERSITAS KEDOKTERAN GUILAN VOLUME 31 ISSUE 1.
JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC NURSING OF MIDWIFERY
Relationship Between Social Support and Parents’Satisfaction With Medical Care Provided to Their Premature Infants

Premature infants, Social support, Parental satisfaction

Introduction: Premature birth is highly stressful for parents. Nursing support is crucial for
premature infants. Parental satisfaction is a vital indicator of the quality of care provided by
nurses. Therefore, determining the factors related to parental satisfaction is important in
nursing care.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social support and
parents’ satisfaction with the medical care provided to their premature infants in the Neonatal
Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
Materials and Methods: This is an analytical/correlational study. Participants were 130
parents of premature infants admitted to the NICUs in three hospitals affiliated to Tehran
University of Medical Sciences in Iran. They were selected based on a convenience
sampling method. Tarkka’s Social Support Questionnaires and the Neonatal Index of
Parent Satisfaction were used for collecting data. Data were analyzed by using descriptive
statistics and t-test, Chi-square test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation test.
Results: It was reported that 55.38% of the infants were females, with a Mean±SD birth weight
of 1880.97±544.85 gr and a mean gestational age of 32.07±2.41 weeks. The Mean±SD age of
their mothers and fathers was 31.25±5.12 and 35.03±5.66 years, respectively. The highest
level of social support in mothers and fathers was related to emotional support (3.65±0.69
in mothers and 3.29±0.57 in fathers), while the lowest level of social support was related to
concrete support (3.32±0.80 in mothers and 3.16±0.65 in fathers). Mothers perceived higher
social support than fathers. They also had more satisfaction with medical care (3.88±0.81
in mothers and 3.63±0.69 in fathers). There was a significant relationship between social
support and parental satisfaction (r=0.791, P<0.05).
Conclusion: Parents of premature infants need more social support, especially concrete aid.
Therefore, planning to promote social support of parents, especially fathers, by nurses in the
NICUs seems necessary.

Mona Mohtashami , Zahra Ahmadi , Maliheh Imeni , Maliheh Amerian , Marzieh Faghani Aghoozi

January 2021, Volume 31, Number 1

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