Abstract

Malawi has the highest preterm birth rate in the world and preterm birth contribute to more than one-third of the neonatal deaths annually. Malawi is also faced with limited resources, both human and material. The lack of incubators led to the adoption of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) as routine care for preterm infants. Families also provide support, physical and emotional during this entire period. Evidence from developed countries has shown that preterm birth contributes to maternal emotional distress (depressive, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms and maternal worry about child's health) and fewer maternal and infant interactive behaviors. The majority of published research globally has also focused on early-preterm infants and little research has been done on late-preterm infants. Studies in Malawi have also largely focused on postpartum depression and no published literature could be located on mother-infant-interactions. The purpose of this study was to explore emotional distress and mother-infant interactions of mothers with early-preterm, late-preterm, and full-term infants in Malawi.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 10749391; ProQuest document ID: 2036377445. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Kaboni Whitney Gondwe, PhD, RN, MRM

Sigma Membership

Eta Nu

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

Mother-Infant Interactions, Maternal Worry, Emotional Distress, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Advisor

Diane Holditch-Davis

Second Advisor

Debra H. Brandon

Third Advisor

Maria J. Small

Fourth Advisor

William F. Malcolm

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

Duke University

Degree Year

2018

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2022-04-18

Full Text of Presentation

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