The Effect of Mother's Gentle Human Touch on Preterm Neonate's Pain and Maternal Anxiety During Venipuncture in Turkiye

Pain in neonates causes many negative effects, such as decreased oxygenation, deterioration in hemodynamics, and increased intracranial pressure. Mothers may experience anxiety while observing the infant experiencing pain. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of gentle human touch (GHT), applied by mothers, on the infant's physiological and pain responses during venipuncture, the mother's associated anxiety levels, and the correlation between infant pain and maternal anxiety. A randomized controlled study was conducted with 80 healthy preterm infants (40 GHT and 40 control) being seen in the neonatal follow-up clinic 24-48 h post discharge from the hospital in Turkiye. Infants were 32-37 weeks gestational age. Infant pain was rated with the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), oxygen saturation and heart rate (HR) were taken from clinic monitors, length of crying was measured in minutes with a stop watch, and maternal anxiety was assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I). Infants in the GHT group had higher oxygen saturation values, lower pain scores, and shorter crying duration, but higher peak heart rates. Their mothers had lower anxiety scores. Maternal anxiety was strongly correlated with infant pain levels. The GHT method applied by mothers during venipuncture was shown to be effective in reducing infant pain, regulating infant physiological parameters, and reducing maternal anxiety. Trial Registration: NCT05727631.