Predictors of Significant stressors for parents of NICU admitted infants from tertiary care teaching hospital, Jalandhar, India

Introduction: Assessment of the significant stressful factors carried in PIMS to know the associated with stress of the parents of newborns admitted to NICU. PSS NICU score is used to asses the overall stress and it is correlated with certain demographic, baby and parent factors to find the significant factors in order to draw a relation or find the new variables as compared to the studies conducted previously. Aim: To find the significant stressful factors causing stress in parents of newborn. Materials and methods: An institutional based descriptive cross sectional study was performed in Punjab institute of medical sciences,Jalandhar, Punjab, India from Jan 2021 till dec 2021. A total of 60 parents present with the newborns admitted to the NICU were included in the study. They were provided with the 34 questions-based questionnaire of PSS NICU and their stress score was calculated through this scale. Then their demographic data including family type, socio economic status, education level, maternal antennal risk factors, previous off springs, baby factors like gestational age, length of NICU stay, length of respiratory support, Results: PSS NICU calculated overall stress score of 2.99 with subgroup 3 (parent role alteration) calculating the highest score. increasing age, lower gestation period and increased length of stay of NICU, illiteracy, nuclear family, requirement of intubation were significant stressors. Conclusions: Providing a professional group facilitator educating the parents and focusing support on elements of the parent role and relationship with the baby along with some emotional support prove to be beneficial.