Parents' Perceptions of the Psychological and Social Impact of Home Monitoring

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Abstract
Premature infants with prolonged sleep apnea were managed extensively with electronic monitoring to identify these episodes and allow for early intervention and termination. This method has been opposed in the past by some as being stressful and disruptive of nornal development of parent-child relationships. Self-assessments of 133 parents'' (74 families) feelings, perceptions, reactions to stresses and satisfactions during electronic home monitoring are reported. Data were collected during structured interviews by students in a graduate social work program. Although extreme anxiety was prevalent initially, only 27.4% of the parents felt they were very anxious beyond the 1st mo. Social life was restricted in 55.7% but job attendance was seldom affected. Only 4 parents felt very irritated by the increased demands of the monitored baby. The majority (72.9%) said that the monitor made them feel more comfortable with their baby. Only 14.2% felt that their marriage relationship worsened during the period of monitoring; 2 couples separated. Most supportive to parents were their spouses, least supportive were friends and relatives. With availability of a psychosocial support system, electronic home monitoring of infants can be conducted by parents without constant and extreme anxiety and, in their judgment, can even be a satisfying experience.

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