Perception and Educational Needs of Developmentally Supportive Care At-Home for Parents of Pre-Term Newborns

After discharge from neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), the parents of pre-term newborns have to provide developmentally supportive care (DSC) to their children; thus, educational support for parents is essential. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of parents providing DSC to their children born as pre-term newborns at home and to investigate their parenting-related needs. This study included 10 mothers who were identified through theoretical sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted for data collection. For data analysis, grounded theory was used according to Corbin and Strauss’s process. The mother’s perception and educational needs were characterized by the phenomena “Coexistence of familiarity and unfamiliarity” and “Desire for expert support”. Causal conditions include the “Incomplete education system” and “Gap between expectations and reality”. Contextual conditions include the “Fear of developmental disability” and “Lack of good evaluation criteria”. Intervening conditions include the “Difficulty in obtaining useful information”. Action/interaction strategies include the “Active information seeking” and “Continuing to provide DSC”. The consequences were the “Needs for professional educational support”. The core category was the “Parenting routine that continues without awareness” and “Hope to establish parenting system supported by multidisciplinary experts”. These results may provide the preliminary evidence base for suitable educational programs and for developing a social support system for parents.