A comparison of perceptions of infant health, reliance on others, and caregiving by mothers of low birth weight and normal birth weight infants

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to describe the relationship between maternal perception of infant health, reliance on others and caregiving in mothers of low birth weight (LBW) (ṉ = 30) infants and mothers of normal birth weight infants (ṉ = 30). A descriptive research design was used for a secondary analysis of data. Significant relationships were found between maternal perception of: infant health and caregiver burden (R² =.29, p̱ ≤ .001); confidence in caregiving and caregiver burden (R² change =.12, p̱ ≤ .01); infant health and confidence in caregiving (R² change =.18, p̱ ≤ .001); and preparation for caregiving and confidence in caregiving (R² change =.10, p̱ ≤ .02). A significant difference was found between mothers of LBW infants and mothers of normal birth weight infants in their perception of infant health (ṯ (58) = -2.02, p̱ ≤ .05) and caregiver burden (ṯ (58) = -3.50, p̱ ≤ .001).