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Parental Coping in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

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Abstract

Fifty-six mothers of premature infants who participated in a study to reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) completed the Brief COPE, a self-report inventory of coping mechanisms, the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire to assess acute stress disorder (ASD) and the Davidson Trauma Scale to assess PTSD. 18 % of mothers had baseline ASD while 30 % of mothers met the criteria for PTSD at the 1-month follow-up. Dysfunctional coping as measured by the Brief COPE was positively associated with elevated risk of PTSD in these mothers (RR = 1.09, 95 % CI 1.02–1.15; p = .008). Maternal education was positively associated with PTSD; each year increase in education was associated with a 17 % increase in the relative risk of PTSD at 1 month follow-up (RR = 1.17, 95 % CI 1.02–1.35; p = .03). Results suggest that dysfunctional coping is an important issue to consider in the development of PTSD in parents of premature infants.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by funding from NIH M01 RR00070 for General Clinical Research Center Program, Stanford University School of Medicine and RO1-MH086579A to Drs. Shaw and Horwitz.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94305-5719, USA

    Richard J. Shaw

  2. San Diego Center for Children, San Diego, CA, 92111, USA

    Rebecca S. Bernard

  3. Statistical Research Consultants, LLC, Perrysburg, OH, 43551, USA

    Amy Storfer-Isser

  4. Division of Neonatology, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94305, USA

    William Rhine

  5. Department of Pediatrics and Stanford Health Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94305, USA

    Sarah M. Horwitz

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  1. Richard J. Shaw
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  2. Rebecca S. Bernard
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  3. Amy Storfer-Isser
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  4. William Rhine
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  5. Sarah M. Horwitz
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Correspondence to Richard J. Shaw.

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Shaw, R.J., Bernard, R.S., Storfer-Isser, A. et al. Parental Coping in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 20, 135–142 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-012-9328-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-012-9328-x

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