Fathers' Visitation of Very Low Birth Weight Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the First Week of Life

Abstract

Objective The perceived fragility of extremely preterm neonates may deter paternal visitation early during the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay. We retrospectively analyzed the correlation between paternal visitation of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in our NICU and sociodemographic characteristics.

Study Design We identified inborn VLBW infants admitted to our NICU from 2017 to 2018. The rate of visit days in the first week of life was analyzed using Spearman's correlation and Poisson's regression.

Results The analysis included 292 infants (median gestational age [GA]: 29 weeks), with fathers present on a median of 3 days of the first week of life. GA was not correlated with visitation (rho = –0.04). On multivariable regression, fathers visited less frequently if they did not live with the mother or if the mother lived 25 to 75 km from the hospital versus < 25 km.

Conclusion Fathers' visitation in our NICU was constrained by socioeconomic factors rather than VLBW infants' characteristics.

Keywords

visitation - fatherhood - neonatal intensive care unit - VLBW

Publication History

Received: 21 August 2019

Accepted: 05 December 2019

Article published online:
07 January 2020

• References

• 1 Pineda R, Bender J, Hall B, Shabosky L, Annecca A, Smith J. Parent participation in the neonatal intensive care unit: predictors and relationships to neurobehavior and developmental outcomes. Early Hum Dev 2018; 117: 32-38
• 2 Wigert H, Berg M, Hellström AL. Parental presence when their child is in neonatal intensive care. Scand J Caring Sci 2010; 24 (01) 139-146
• 3 Heinemann AB, Hellström-Westas L, Hedberg Nyqvist K. Factors affecting parents' presence with their extremely preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care room. Acta Paediatr 2013; 102 (07) 695-702
• 4 Gonya J, Nelin LD. Factors associated with maternal visitation and participation in skin-to-skin care in an all referral level IIIc NICU. Acta Paediatr 2013; 102 (02) e53-e56
• 5 Northrup TF, Evans PW, Lillie ML, Tyson JE. A free parking trial to increase visitation and improve extremely low birth weight infant outcomes. J Perinatol 2016; 36 (12) 1112-1115
• 6 Griffin T. A family-centered “visitation” policy in the neonatal intensive care unit that welcomes parents as partners. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs 2013; 27 (02) 160-165
• 7 Garten L, Maass E, Schmalisch G, Bührer C. O father, where art thou? Parental NICU visiting patterns during the first 28 days of life of very low-birth-weight infants. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs 2011; 25 (04) 342-348
• 8 Lantz B. Gender differences in reasons, facilitators, and barriers for parental presence in the NICU. Vard Nord Utveckl Forsk 2012; 32: 61-63
• 9 Feeley N, Waitzer E, Sherrard K, Boisvert L, Zelkowitz P. Fathers' perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to their involvement with their newborn hospitalised in the neonatal intensive care unit. J Clin Nurs 2013; 22 (3-4): 521-530
• 10 Yogman M, Garfield CF. COMMITTEE ON PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH. Fathers' roles in the care and development of their children: the role of pediatricians. Pediatrics 2016; 138 (01) e1-e15
• 11 Kim M, Kang SK, Yee B, Shim SY, Chung M. Paternal involvement and early infant neurodevelopment: the mediation role of maternal parenting stress. BMC Pediatr 2016; 16 (01) 212-220
• 12 Fox NA, Kimmerly NL, Schafer WD. Attachment to mother/attachment to father: a meta-analysis. Child Dev 1991; 62 (01) 210-225
• 13 Brown GL, Mangelsdorf SC, Neff C. Father involvement, paternal sensitivity, and father-child attachment security in the first 3 years. J Fam Psychol 2012; 26 (03) 421-430
• 14 Bretherton I. The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Dev Psychol 1992; 28: 759-775
• 15 Yogman MW, Kindlon D, Earls F. Father involvement and cognitive/behavioral outcomes of preterm infants. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1995; 34 (01) 58-66
• 16 Levy-Shiff R, Hoffman MA, Mogilner S, Levinger S, Mogilner MB. Fathers' hospital visits to their preterm infants as a predictor of father-infant relationship and infant development. Pediatrics 1990; 86 (02) 289-293
• 17 Jackson DB. The interplay between early father involvement and neonatal medical risk in the prediction of infant neurodevelopment. Prev Sci 2017; 18 (01) 106-115
• 18 Keller D, Hildebrandt KA, Richards ME. Effects of extended father-infant contact during the newborn period. Infant Behav Dev 1985; 8: 337-350
• 19 Feeley N, Sherrard K, Waitzer E, Boisvert L. The father at the bedside: patterns of involvement in the NICU. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs 2013; 27 (01) 72-80
• 20 Fegran L, Helseth S, Fagermoen MS. A comparison of mothers' and fathers' experiences of the attachment process in a neonatal intensive care unit. J Clin Nurs 2008; 17 (06) 810-816
• 21 Hagen IH, Iversen VC, Svindseth MF. Differences and similarities between mothers and fathers of premature children: a qualitative study of parents' coping experiences in a neonatal intensive care unit. BMC Pediatr 2016; 16: 92-101
• 22 Levy-Shiff R, Sharir H, Mogilner MB. Mother- and father-preterm infant relationship in the hospital preterm nursery. Child Dev 1989; 60 (01) 93-102
• 23 Arockiasamy V, Holsti L, Albersheim S. Fathers' experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit: a search for control. Pediatrics 2008; 121 (02) e215-e222
• 24 Matricardi S, Agostino R, Fedeli C, Montirosso R. Mothers are not fathers: differences between parents in the reduction of stress levels after a parental intervention in a NICU. Acta Paediatr 2013; 102 (01) 8-14
• 25 Hugill K, Letherby G, Reid T, Lavender T. Experiences of fathers shortly after the birth of their preterm infants. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2013; 42 (06) 655-663
• 26 Sisson H, Jones C, Williams R, Lachanudis L. Metaethnographic synthesis of fathers' experiences of the neonatal intensive care unit environment during hospitalization of their premature infants. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2015; 44 (04) 471-480
• 27 Deeney K, Lohan M, Spence D, Parkes J. Experiences of fathering a baby admitted to neonatal intensive care: a critical gender analysis. Soc Sci Med 2012; 75 (06) 1106-1113
• 28 Garten L, Nazary L, Metze B, Bührer C. Pilot study of experiences and needs of 111 fathers of very low birth weight infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. J Perinatol 2013; 33 (01) 65-69
• 29 Mackley AB, Locke RG, Spear ML, Joseph R. Forgotten parent: NICU paternal emotional response. Adv Neonatal Care 2010; 10 (04) 200-203