OBJECTIVE: to assess changes in the subjective state of mood of mothers of pre-term babies, comparing different kinds of mother-infant interaction: the Kangaroo Mother Method (KMM) and those observed on a visit to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. METHODS: the Visual Analogue Mood Scale was used with 60 mothers divided into two groups: mothers included in the Kangaroo Program (KG) and mothers with a baby on an incubator (IG). The groups were matched for the mothers' age, number of pregnancies and kind of delivery. The mothers were evaluated before and after a visit to the baby on an incubator or a KMM session. RESULTS: it was found that KG mothers were in a better mood, reporting that they felt calmer, stronger, more clear-headed, more agile, dynamic, satisfied, at ease, perceptive, relaxed, considerate, competent, happy and friendly. The IG mothers showed no positive variation in mood state but a negative variation for feeling clumsy. CONCLUSIONS: the Kangaroo Mother Method was shown to be efficient in improving the mood state of mothers of pre-term babies, thereby helping to minimize the negative effects of neonatal hospitalization.
Humor; Kangaroo mother method; Preterm
