Determination of stress and anxiety levels of the parents of newborns hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit and receiving oxygen support

This study was carried out as a cross-sectional descriptive study to determine the stress and anxiety levels of the parents of newborns hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit and receiving oxygen support. It was applied in the neonatal intensive care unit of a private foundation university hospital between August 2020 and May 2021. The study sample consisted of 123 parents. "Parent Information Form", "Baby İnformation Form", "State and Trait Anxiety Inventory", "NICU Parent Stress Scale" were used collect data. Ethics committee permission was obtained from Bezmialem Vakıf University Clinical Research Ethics Committee and written institutional permission was obtained from Bezmialem Vakıf University Medical Faculty Hospital, where the research would be conducted. The research data were analyzed with the SPSS program and its validity and reliability were proven. As a result of the research, it was determined that the parents state anxiety score averages 48,26±10,21; and trait anxiety scores were 47,52±8,46; both of which were perceived as "moderate anxiety". The mean score of the NICU Parent Stress Scale was 104,38±31,58; Image and Sounds mean score of the sub-dimensions of the scale was 16,21±6,12; Baby Appearance and Behavior mean score was 52,53±19,19; The mean score Your Relationship with Your Baby was found to be 35,62±13,42 and it can be said that the scale total and sub-score mean values ​​are "moderately stressful". It was found that the number of children the parents had, the employment status, the sex of the baby, the mode of delivery, the characteristics of the intensive care environment, the communication of the parents with the health personnel, the health status of the baby were affected by the sub-dimensions of the stress and anxiety scales of the families. In the process, it is recommended to support parents, who are the most valuable newborns, with a family-centered approach.