Title

Parent’s experiences during their infant’s transition from neonatal intensive care unit to home: A qualitative study

Authors

Sharon W. Hutchinson, Southern University and A & M College
Marydee A. Spillett, Walden University
Mary Cronin, University of New Orleans

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Originally Published In

The Qualitative Report

Volume Number

17

Issue Number

12

Abstract

Limited literature exists which examines how parents of infants hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) transition from their infant’s NICU hospital stay to home. This study examines the question, “What are the experiences of parents during their infant’s transition from the NICU to home? Grounded theory methods served as the paradigm to explore twelve NICU parents’ experiences during their infant’s transition. The basic social psychological process identified was “becoming a parent” which was based on the core problem “I’m not a parent.” Analysis of data contributed to a model described by the researchers as the resultant Model of Parental Progression that describes how the parents proceeded through their experiences of their infants’ transitions from the NICU to home.