In search of social support in the NICU: features, benefits and antecedents of parents' tendency to share with others the premature birth of their baby

Abstract

Objective: To investigate social sharing among 40 parents (20 couples) of hospitalized premature newborns, the social network of addressees with whom they shared their experience, the perceived benefits of this activity and the sources of individual differences.

Method: Emotional reaction and attachment status were assessed within 7 days and between 30 and 45 days from birth, respectively. At 3 months of infant's corrected age, parents completed a self-report assessing retrospectively their social sharing.

Results: Over 80% of the parents felt the need to share the event and actually did within a week; one's own partner was the most preferred addressee. The extent of father's social sharing was mainly related to the newborn's medical risk, while mother's to her own emotional reaction. Guilt and anger were found to lengthen the latency of sharing in mothers and fathers, respectively. Secure attachment status, compared to insecure ones, was found to be the most effective in promoting social sharing.

Conclusions: These findings help to understand why parents differ from each other in their use of social support in the NICU; from a practical standpoint, they highlight important factors which require attention when implementing intervention program in the NICU directed to parents of premature newborns.