How Perceived Parental Stress Levels and Family-Centered Care Change During The First Week of Admission to The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Descriptive Follow-Up Study

How perceived parental stress levels and family-centered care change during the first week of admission to the NICU: A descriptive follow-up study Abstract Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the evolving dynamics of perceived parental stress levels and family-centered care (FCC) during the initial week of infant admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Methods: Conducted in a Level III NICU from November 2017 to May 2018, this descriptive follow-up study involved 62 parents whose infants were admitted to the unit immediately after birth and were expected to remain for at least seven days. Data collection at T1 (2nd day of admission) and T2 (7th day of admission) utilized the Parental Stress Scale: NICU (PSS: NICU), Family-Centered Care Scale-Consistency (FCCS-Consistency), and Parent-Infant Information Form. Descriptive statistics and repeated measures t-tests were employed for analysis. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in the mean scores of parents’ PSS: NICU and FCCS-Consistency at T1 and T2 (p