A parents' program in the intensive care nursery: its relationship to maternal attitudes and expectations

Neonatal illness frequently leads to problems for parents. An intensive care nursery (ICN) program was developed to ameliorate the effects of neonatal illness on parents. The approach to parents used crisis intervention techniques and was coordinated by two full time social workers. Mothers taking part in the program, when compared with mothers of healthy term infants, had at the time of discharge similar attachment feelings and perception of their infants, as well as similar attitudes toward pregnancy and medical care.