Effect of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for parents of high-risk neonates on perceived anxiety, control, and burden

Objectives: Study objectives: (1) To compare the effects of 3 methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for parents of infants at risk for cardiac or respiratory arrest on anxiety, perception of control, and sense of burden; and (2) to identify parents’ attitudes about CPR training and willingness to perform CPR if needed. Methods: A longitudinal, controlled trial was conducted with parents and other caretakers of high-risk infants. Subjects were recruited from 5 level III neonatal intensive care units. We enrolled each of 578 subjects in 1 of 4 groups: (1) CPR-Video; (2) CPR-Didactic; (3) CPR-Social Support; or (4) control (no CPR training). Of these, 335 completed the entire study. Data were collected at baseline, and 2 weeks and 6 months after CPR training. The main outcomes measured were perceived anxiety, control, and burden related to caring for a high-risk infant and attitudes about responding to an emergency. Results: Subjects reported moderately high anxiety, sense of burden, and feelings of loss of control before CPR training. Within groups, subjects in all 3 treatment groups reported improvement in perceptions of anxiety, control, and burden 2 weeks after CPR training, with continued improvement evident 6 months after CPR training (P =.001). In contrast, perceptions were unchanged in the control group. Among groups, at 2 weeks there were significant differences in means between control and CPR-Didactic groups (P =.01), and at 6 months there were significant differences in means between control and CPR-Didactic groups (P =.01) and between control and CPR-Social Support groups (P =.01). Conclusion: CPR training is an important intervention for promoting a sense of control and reducing the anxiety and sense of burden experienced by parents of neonates at risk for cardiopulmonary arrest. (Heart Lung® 1999;28:326-33)