Abstract:

Background: The parent-infant bonding process that occurs during the newborn period establishes the foundation for a lifelong relationship and if the newborn is admitted for weeks or months it is likely to miss this precious period of life and so the parents. It’s important to identify the mental distress in parents as it may have impacts to child life which may include adverse developmental, cognitive, academic, and mental health outcomes.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and predictors of stress among parents with neonates admitted to NICU at Bugando Medical Centre

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study where convenient sampling technique were used among parents with neonates admitted to NICU at Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza Tanzania was recruited consecutively as from September 2022 to May 2023. Data was collected using questionnaires. The statistical analysis of the data was performed through the Statistical Program SPSS version 20.0.

Results: This study involved 200 participants, among them (%) were females. The median age of participants was 25 had stress out of which were females.

Implication of the study: This study was going to identify the burden of stress level among parents whose newborn were admitted to NICU, and therefore bring more attention to intervening in the identified predictors. It will further address different factors contributing to increased stress level among parents whose new born were admitted to NICU and to suggest the integrated approach to improve both parental and newborn outcome.