Study on the Comparison of Emotion between the Mothers with Low-birth Weights and Normal Infants and the Effect of Home Visiting for the Low-birth Weights

Abstract

This study was conducted to compare the emotional state between the mothers with low-birth-weights and mothers with normal infants, and to analyze the effects of home visiting for the low-birth-weights in one city. Data were collected from 51 mothers with low-birth-weights and 90 mothers with normal infants to compare emotional state, and from 26 mothers with low-birth weights to evaluate the effect of home visiting care. Summaries of results were as follows; 1. In mothers with low-birth-weights, social support form others was significantly lower than those of mothers with normal infants. Although the differences were not significant, mothers with low-birth-weights have more stress and child rearing burden, and less maternal self-esteem than those of mothers with normal infants. 2. Mothers with low-birth-weights, the more burden, postpartum depression, and the less husbands' support they felt. When they had lower maternal self-esteem and lower husbands' support, child rearing burden was higher. Also there was significant negative correlation between maternal self-esteem and postpartum depression. 3. In mothers with low-birth-weights, the score of post-intervention stress, care-giving burden, and postpartum depression were somewhat decreased, and maternal self-esteem was increased than pre-intervention data, although they were not statistically significant. 4. Mothers' satisfaction on the home-visiting care was considered to be high. In summary, mothers with low-birth-weights had lower social support even though they experienced more stress than mothers with normal infants. Therefore, public health nurse in community should pay more attention to them.