Effect of skin-to-skin contact on parents' sleep quality, mood, parent-infant interaction and cortisol concentrations in neonatal care units: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Separation after preterm birth is a major stressor for infants and parents. Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is a method of care suitable to use in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to minimise separation between parents and infants. Less separation leads to increased possibilities for parent-infant interaction, provided that the parents' sleep quality is satisfactory. We aimed to evaluate the effect of continuous SSC on sleep quality and mood in parents of preterm infants born <33 weeks of gestation as well as the quality of parent-infant interaction and salivary cortisol concentrations at the time of discharge.

Methods and analysis

A randomised intervention study with two arms-intervention versus standard care. Data will be collected from 50 families. Eligible

SUBMITTER: Angelhoff C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6074633 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature