Stress maternal in the neonatal intensive care unit: effect of the educational booklet

Background: Maternal stress is experienced by mothers with children in the neonatal unit.The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of maternal role-related stress in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before and after the application of an educational booklet. Methods:A quasi-experimental study was carried out. The stress level was assessed using the "relationship and parental role" subscale in a single group. Participants were evaluated in three moments: before the intervention (educational booklet) in the first three days of hospitalization of the newborn, and in two moments after the intervention (at the first and second week of hospitalization).Central tendency measures from the three moments were compared using the Friedman test. A significance level of ≤ 0.05 was set. Results: Eighty-six mother-baby dyads participated in the first two moments, and 70 in the third moment at the second week of hospitalization. The results show that the first three days of hospitalization were the most stressful, and there was a reduction in stress levels according to most of the evaluated items (p <0.05) after the intervention except for the item "Being separated from my baby " (p>0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that the reading of the educational booklet had a positive effect in reducing the levels of stress related to the performance of the maternal role. Tweetable abstract: Educational technology offers information that reduces maternal stress during the premature baby's hospitalization.