FACTORS ASSOCIATED PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF MOTHERS WITH LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (LBW) INFANTS WHO ARE ADMITTED AT NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS (NICU)

Abstract

Psychological well-being is relatively complex notions with a variety of components that may contribute to it. Individuals differ in their overall levels of psychological health and well-being. Mother with low birth weight (LBW) babies required hospitalization especially in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) more exposed to the experience of anxious symptoms. Therefore, it would become a stressful event that might cause psychological distress or even emotional crisis in mother's when their infants were LBW especially premature. Health promotion is very important to prevent this problem. Health promotion efforts aimed at improving infant health status must do so by improving women's health. Improving women's health before, during, and after pregnancy is the key to reduce the human and economic costs associated with infant mortality and morbidity. To improve both women's and infants' health, efforts should include an emphasis on preventive health care services, family-oriented work site options, changes in social norms, and individual behavior modification. Therefore, it is important for health care professionals in NICU to be able to assess the factors associated psychological well-being of mother's with LBW infant.