Effect of COPE Program (Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment) on Maternal Stress and Parent Neonate Interaction among NICU Mothers

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of COPE program on Stress and Parent-Neonate Interaction among the mothers of neonates admitted in NICU at selected hospitals, Puducherry.

Objectives: To assess the pretest score of stress and interaction among mothers of neonates, to evaluate the effectiveness of COPE program on Stress and Parent-Neonate Interaction among mothers, to associate the post-test mean score with the selected demographic variables, to correlate the mean post-test score stress and parent-neonate interaction among the experimental and control group.

Materials and Methods: Quantitative approach with Experimental, pre-test post-test control group design was used for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the 60(Intervention – 30, Control – 30) mothers. The Modified PSS:NICU scale and Structured Parent Neonate Interaction Scale was used to assess the variables. The Intervention group undergone the 3 phases of COPE programme on 2nd, 4th, 6th day of admission in NICU, whereas the control group undergone the routine hospital care. The Pre and post test were conducted on the both groups.

Results: The result depicts that the mean post-test stress level was 20.33 in the experimental group mothers, whereas it was 77.50 in the control group mothers with the ‘t’ value of 20.937(p<0.001) which was highly significant. The mean post-test score of parent-neonate interaction among mothers was 46.33 and 12.0 in the experimental and control group and the ‘t’ value of 33.195 (p<0.001) which was found to statistically significant. On correlating the mean post-test stress and parent-interaction level, the r value was found to be -0.217, shows a negative correlation.

Conclusion: This study shows that, the COPE program was found to be effective. Irrespective of any culture, the mother undergoing COPE program may have reduced stress by creating positive psychological and thereby improves Parent-Neonate Interaction.

Keywords: Stress, Parent-Neonate Interaction, Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment, NICU.