The Effect of Neonate Multisensory Intervention on the Mental Health of Mothers with Preterm Neonates

The admission of premature infants in NICU is a worrying experience for mothers. Therefore, early intervention is important. Multisensory intervention enhances mother-neonate interaction. This study aimed to investigate the effect of multisensory intervention on the mental health of mothers with preterm infants. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 60 mothers of premature infants in Bojnourd, Iran, in 2021. The participants were selected using convenience sampling. Neonates of mothers in intervention group received multisensory stimulation twice daily for seven days and then for up to one month. Those in the control group only received kangaroo care. Mothers of neonates completed the Goldberg Mental Health Questionnaire before, one week and one month after the intervention. The data was analyzed by SPSS (version 16) using the independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U test.   Results: The difference between the mean score of mental health was not significant in the two study groups before the intervention (P=0.43). One week after the intervention, the mental health scores were significantly different between the control (27.10±9.6) and intervention groups (44.97±7.37) (P=0.001). Similarly, one month after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between two groups (16.30±8.22 vs. 42.30±6.41, P=0.001). Furthermore, one month after the intervention, the mean change of mental health score between the control and intervention group was also significant (P=0.001).Conclusion: Multisensory intervention had an effect on the mental health of mothers with premature infants. Therefore, this type of intervention is recommended for mothers of preterm neonates to promote their mental health.