The Effect of Maternal Attachment Behaviors Program on Physiological Indicators of Preterm Infants: A Clinical Trial

Hospitalization of premature newborns in intensive care unit leads to separation of parents from their infants and chaos in family life. This study aimed to determine the effect of maternal attachment behaviors program on physiological indicators of preterm infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units.
This clinical trial was conducted on 64 premature infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit. The subjects were randomly divided into control and intervention groups by block randomization. The mothers in the intervention group received attachment behaviors training program (touching, massage, and Kangaroo Mother Care) by individual and face-to-face training. On the other hand, the mothers in the control group received the routine care (Kangaroo Mother Care). Physiological indicators (respiratory rate, heart rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation) were measured 3 times. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software, version 17 and were analyzed by t-test and chi-square test.
The mean scores of respiratory rate and heart rate, which were measured during three consecutive days, significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group (P The results showed that the attachment behaviors program in neonatal intensive care units resulted in improvement of physiological indicators in premature infants. Therefore, this program is recommended to be used for such infants hospitalized in these units.