Skin-to-Skin Care is Associated with Reduced Stress, Anxiety, and Salivary Cortisol and Improved Attachment for Mothers of Infants With Critical Congenital Heart Disease.
Amy J Lisanti, Abigail C Demianczyk, Andrew Costarino and 5 others
PMID 33181093WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers who held infants skin-to-skin before and after cardiac surgery reported less stress and anxiety, and salivary cortisol fell.
Bonding ratings rose, but salivary oxytocin did not change.
Key findings
01State anxiety scores and stress rating-scale scores were lower during and after skin-to-skin care than before care at both the preoperative and postoperative assessments.
02Salivary cortisol decreased from baseline during and after skin-to-skin care at both assessments.
03Bonding rating-scale scores increased during and after skin-to-skin care at both assessments, and attachment questionnaire scores increased before surgery but not after surgery; salivary oxytocin did not differ before, during, or after care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot study, so the findings are preliminary and should be interpreted with caution. Only 30 mothers from one hospital were studied, and the sample was small and homogeneous, so results may not apply to other families. No power analysis was completed. There was no control group or comparison holding method; mothers were compared with themselves. Skin-to-skin care was assessed at only two time points, so the study cannot show how often or for how long it should be used. At the postoperative session, 6 mother-infant dyads became ineligible, 1 mother withdrew after skin-to-skin began, and 23 participants remained. Salivary oxytocin values varied widely, and the oxytocin assay may not be specific enough to support firm conclusions.
Declared interests
The article is listed as receiving NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. The supplied text does not include an author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower stress and higher bonding ratings as proof that skin-to-skin care treats maternal anxiety, depression, or attachment problems in all families. This was a small pilot without a control group, and salivary oxytocin did not change.