Effectiveness of Nursing Care Bundle on the Level of Stress Among Mothers of Neonates Admitted in NICU at Selected Tertiary Care Centre in India

Abstract

Introduction: The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) environment can significantly increase stress among mothers, impacting their well-being and caregiving capacity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a structured nursing care bundle (Information Preparation, Parental-Baby Attachment, Relaxation, and Supportive Communication Approaches) in reducing stress levels among mothers of NICU-admitted neonates.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design with 100 mothers (50 in each group) selected using purposive sampling. The intervention group received the care bundle, and the control group received treatment as usual. Stress of mother was measured using a standard Parental Stressor Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data, including paired and independent t-tests.

Results: The mean and SD of the experimental group (117.64 ± 8.43) and control group (116.74 ± 5.10) confirm extremely stressful conditions before the intervention. Post-intervention, mothers in the intervention group showed a significant reduction in stress levels (78.26 ± 9.94) compared to the control group (102.96 ± 7.06). The care bundle effectively addressed stressors due to the NICU environment, infant appearance, and parental role.

Conclusion: The nursing care bundle significantly reduced maternal stress in the NICU setting. Integrating such evidence-based interventions into routine neonatal care can improve maternal well-being and foster parental-infant bonding. Further studies should explore long-term benefits.