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Postnatal hospitalization and self-esteem in mothers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

K. Chiha ,
K. Khemakhem ,
C. Regaieg ,
D. Ben Touhemi ,
H. Ayadi ,
N. Hmida ,
A. Gargouri  and
Y. Moalla
K. Chiha
Affiliation:
Child Psychiatry
K. Khemakhem
Affiliation:
Child Psychiatry
C. Regaieg
Affiliation:
Neonatology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia
D. Ben Touhemi
Affiliation:
Child Psychiatry
H. Ayadi*
Affiliation:
Child Psychiatry
N. Hmida
Affiliation:
Neonatology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia
A. Gargouri
Affiliation:
Neonatology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia
Y. Moalla
Affiliation:
Child Psychiatry
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Hospitalization in neonatology constitutes a narcissistic wound for the mother. This mother-baby separation disturbs the maternal identity and generates a strong feeling of failure and guilt.

Objectives

To assess self-esteem in mothers of babies hospitalised during the postnatal period in the neonatal unit and to identify risk factors associated with the persistence of low self-esteem 3 months after discharge.

Methods

This was a longitudinal, descriptive and analytical study conducted between April and September 2021. The sample consisted of mothers of babies hospitalized in the neonatology department of Sfax-Tunisia for a period ranging from 5 to 15 days. Socio-demographic data were collected using a pre-established form. Self-esteem was assessed during the baby’s hospitalisation and 3 months after discharge, using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, with 10 items, validated in Arabic.

Results

The sample consisted of 86 mothers with a mean age of 32.17 years.

Low to very low self-esteem was found in mothers in 81.20% of cases when their babies were hospitalised and in 68.40% of cases 3 months after discharge.

Some factors were significantly related to the persistence of low self-esteem in mothers after 3 months of their babies’ hospitalisation, such as a low educational level of the mother (p=0.017), an unattended pregnancy (p=0.034), the occurrence of a post-partum complication (p=0.043) and the absence of the first smile in the baby at the age of 3 months (p=0.008).

Conclusions

This study shows a high prevalence of low self-esteem in mothers following hospitalization of their babies in the postnatal period. The concomitance with several socio-clinical factors contributes to the persistence of this low level of self-esteem in these mothers.

Appropriate early and multidisciplinary care helps to rebuild strong self-esteem in the young mother so that she can overcome her psychological difficulties and build a solid foundation for the mother-baby bond.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S723
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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