Abstract
Giving birth to a preterm infant has significant implications on the mother’s life. The purpose of this study was to compare occupational performance (performance of everyday occupations), social support, perceived health (mental and physical) and life satisfaction between mothers of preterm and term infants and to assess whether occupational performance, social support and infant characteristics such as birth weight, explain mothers’ health and life satisfaction. This cross-sectional study included 30 mothers of preterm singletons and 30 mothers of term infants (age 22–41) four months after hospital discharge. The data was gathered using three self-report questionnaires: Satisfaction with life Scale; Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire; and the Maternal Social Support Index and a semi-structured interview (the Occupational Performance History Interview) which was analyzed quantitatively and measured occupational performance by three components: occupational identity, competence and settings. Mothers of preterm infants exhibited lower occupational competence and identity scores and higher perceived physical health. Social support, life satisfaction and perceived total and mental health were comparable between groups. Occupational competence predicted perceived mental health and life satisfaction, and occupational settings and social support predicted life satisfaction among all mothers. The study findings shed new light on occupational aspects pertaining to mothers of preterm infants after discharge. Their ability to engage in varied occupations is lower than mothers of term infants. Therefore, as part of a health promotion agenda, mothers of premature infants may benefit from interventions that are focused on their needs and not only on the infants’.
Highlights
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Mothers of preterm infants exhibit lower occupational competence and identity than mothers of term infants.
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Mothers’ ability to perform various occupations in a supportive environment predicts life satisfaction and mental health.
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Maternal factors have significantly larger contribution to maternal health and life satisfaction than the newborn factors.
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Author Contribution
O.B. Designed the study, verified the analytical methods and analysis, supervised this work, wrote the manuscript. M.R. Collected the data, performed the analytic calculations, wrote the first draft of the manuscript. I.M. Supervised the data collection, recruited the participants, contributed to the final version of the manuscript. Z.S. Helped to supervise the project, contributed to sample preparation. M.A.B. Designed the study, verified the analytical methods and analysis, supervised this work, wrote the manuscript. All authors provided critical feedback and helped shape the research, analysis and manuscript.
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Bart, O., Rosenfeld, M., Morag, I. et al. Do Occupational Performance and Social Support Predict Health and Well-Being Among Mothers of Preterm Infants?. J Child Fam Stud 31, 1761–1770 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02151-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02151-7