Nesne Dergisi
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Cilt 8, Sayı 16  Haziran 2020  (ISSN: 2147-6489, E-ISSN: )
Burcu KÖMÜRCÜ

NO Makale Adı
1571248522 Posttraumatic Stress in Mothers of Premature Infants: A Review on Outcomes and Interventions

Abstract
Preterm birth is used to identify deliveries before 37 weeks; the terms of ''preterm'' or ''premature'' baby are used to describe the babies who are born before 37 weeks. After birth, the challenging medical condition of premature babies usually prevents the skin-to-skin contact between infants and their parents and it has been suggested to be hazardous for the future development of infants (Wigert, Berg, and Hellström, 2010). Since preterm birth necessitates that the baby stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after birth, preterm birth is a stressful situation for both the newborn and the mother and this might have a negative effect on the mother-baby relationship (e.g., Borghini et al., 2014). Studies show that preterm birth might be associated with maternal psychological problems. Post-traumatic stress symptoms and/or post-traumatic stress disorder are among these maternal mental health problems. It is known that negative emotions experienced after birth affect not only maternal health but also the development of the baby. Maternal post-traumatic stress after premature birth can affect the mother's perception of her baby and interrupt the normal mother-infant relationship. Besides, the intervention programs focusing on the maternal traumatization of preterm mothers are seen to be beneficial.
Keywords: premature babies, mothers, preterm birth, post-traumatic stress, PTSD