Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Occupational Therapy
Copyright Statement
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Department
College of Health Care Sciences – Occupational Therapy Department
First Advisor
Kristin Winston
Second Advisor
Elise Bloch
Third Advisor
Jenene Woods Craig
Publication Date / Copyright Date
2021
Publisher
Nova Southeastern University
NSUWorks Citation
Jennifer Lorraine Nelson. 2021. What Is the Lived Experience of Mothers of Premature Infants in a Level-IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Health Care Sciences – Occupational Therapy Department. (84)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_ot_student_dissertations/84.
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain knowledge of the lived experience of mothers of premature infants in a Level-IVneonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Additionally, the purpose of the dissertation study was to have a more in-depth understanding ofmothers’ experience of mothering in a Level-IV NICU. The eight participants were mothers of premature infants in a Level-IV NICU who had been admitted for a least one month. Data sources for the dissertation study were a demographic form, the primary investigator’s journal, two individual semi-structured interviews, and fieldnotes. The person-environment-occupation model and an occupational theory of human nature were used to frame the research design. The investigator found five themes and two subthemes, which were unanticipated journey to becoming a mother, emotional rollercoaster, mother’s lost voice, cultural influences, roadblocks to mothering, unexpected layer to mothering occupations, and support from mothering occupations. Each theme used had a description of a mother’s experience with mothering occupations and co-occupations in a Level-IV NICU. Occupational therapists can improve occupation-based practice in the NICU by incorporating mothering occupations and co-occupations between mothers and their premature infants.
Disciplines
Occupational Therapy
Keywords
Co-occupations, Mothering occupations, Neonatal intensive care unit, Occupational therapy, Phenomenology, Premature infants