BPsych (Honours)

PhD Candidate, School of Psychology

Contact details for Ms Nicola Sheeran n.sheeran@griffith.edu.au

Research topic title

Young mums and their special babies. From hospital to home. Teenage maternal adjustment during the transition home from hospital with a preterm or low birth weight infant: the role of informal and formal social support, cognitive appraisal, and coping strategies.

Description

The aim of this multidisciplinary research is to explore the relationship between being a teenage mother of a pre-term or low birth weight infant, psychological health and adjustment during the transition to home. Specifically, this exploratory study aims to explore the moderating role of cognitive appraisal, coping and social support (both formal and informal) following a stressful event (the birth of a low birth weight or preterm infant) on the teenage mothers psychological health and parental self-efficacy. Very little research exists on the support needs of teenage mothers of preterm or low birth weight infants. This study attempts to provide qualitative and quantitative data that will aid in discharge planning and enable community follow up for health professionals, such as nurses, and community service professionals, such as social workers or youth workers. Participants will be females aged 13-19 recently given birth to a pre-term (<37 weeks completed gestation) or low birth weight (<2500g) infant an are being recruited from special care units in hospitals. They will be followed up at 3-4 months post discharge and again at 12 months post discharge.

Supervisor:

Dr Liz Jones