Abstract:
Background: Psychological distress is a mental health problem worldwide. Nowadays, it is a mental health problem especially among mothers of neonates who are admitted to neonatal intensive care units. Despite this, there is a scarcity of studies in developing countries like Ethiopia regarding psychological distress among mothers whose neonate is admitted to the neonatal intensive care units.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of psychological distress and associated factors among mothers of neonates who were admitted to neonatal intensive care units of public hospitals in Jimma town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2021.
Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was employed. After proportional allocation was done to both public hospitals in Jimma town data collection was conducted consecutively from 335 from July to October 2021. Maternal psychological distress was assessed by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Descriptive results were presented by tables and graphs. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done and statistical significance was declared at P-values less than 0.25 and 0.05 with 95%CI respectively.
Result: In this study, 335 mothers were planned to participate, and 321 were willing to participate giving a response rate of 95.8%. The overall prevalence of psychological distress was 36.4% with 95 % CI (31.15, 41.58). Younger mothers less than 25 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.96 95% CI: (1.20, 7.32)), primipara (AOR = 2.42 95% CI (1.34, 4.36), unplanned pregnancy (AOR = 3.71, 95% CI (1.81, 7.61)), low social support (AOR= 3.22 95% CI (1.42, 7.29)), high stress due to appearance and behaviours of infants in NICU (AOR = 3.16 95% CI (1.57, 6.36)), neonate birth weight less than 1500 grams (AOR = 3.85 95% CI (1.44, 10.29)), birth weight between 1500 to 2500 grams (AOR = 4.28 CI 95% (2.32, 7.92), neonates on oxygen therapy (AOR = 2.78, 95%CI (1.57, 4.93)), parenteral feeding (AOR = 2.41, 95% CI (1.15, 5.08)) were significantly associated with psychological distress.
Conclusion and recommendation: In this study, more than one-third of mothers whose neonates were admitted to neonatal intensive care units were found to have psychological distress. Mother’s age less than 25 years, unplanned pregnancy, primipara, low social support, high stress due to appearance and behaviors of the babies, birth weight of the babies < 2500 grams, being on oxygen therapy at least once, and parenteral neonate feeding status was significantly associated with psychological distress. It is recommended to assess mothers in the neonatal intensive care units for psychological distress by targeting those with younger age, those who did not plan pregnancy, first mothers, those with low social support and give information about neonate illness to mothers during their infants stay in the neonatal intensive care units admission is important.
