Psychological Well-being of Mothers with Low Birth Weight (LBW) Infants Using DASS-21 Scales

Abstract

Introduction: Every pregnant mother want their baby normal and healthy when is born. As a consequence, when their infants were premature and LBW, requiring hospitalization, especially in the NICU or SCN, it turned into a stressful situation that could lead to psychological suffering and emotional breakdown. Currently, research in Malaysia focuses on the prevalence of LBW; however, insufficient research on the psychological well-being of mothers with LBW has been conducted. Method: A cross-sectional study design with 130 respondents was selected using convenience sampling at SCN, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab 11, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The DASS-21 scale was used. Result: A Chi-Square was performed and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. For depression, the percentage of mothers reporting symptoms on the DASS-21 scales in the mild group was 18 (13.8 %), moderate at 20 (15.4 %), and severe at 4 (3.1 %), respectively. Anxiety was prominent in the mild group at 11(8.5 %), moderate at 39(30.0%), severe at 14(10.8 %), and extremely severe at 12(9.2 % ). Meanwhile, mild stress symptoms were reported by 29 (22.3 %), moderate by 15 (11.5 %), and severe by 6 (4.6 %). The association between maternal age and anxiety (p=0.036), maternal age, and stress (p=0.041) was shown to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The majority of respondents in this study had anxiety rather than depression or stress. The study’s information will help healthcare practitioners in developing effective intervention strategies to address the issue of psychological well-being among mothers of LBW infants.