Mental health articles
OF mental health care and mentally ill
June, 2016
EFFECTS OF FREQUENT HOSPITALISATION
EFFECTS OF FREQUENT HOSPITALISATION Frequent hospitalisations create stress on the infant–parent relationship in a number of ways, independently of the condition of the child. Whatever the condition, the infant is unable to function at the expected level of maturity until a measure of physiological stability is obtained. The infant who is hospitalised is likely to […]
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Perinatal illness of infant
Perinatal illness Many of the longer term illnesses in infants are associated with prematurity. Low-birthweight infants continue to suffer from more cerebral disorders than do full-term infants (Kopp, 1987). Although there has been an increase in the survival of VLBW and ELBW infants, there has also been an increase in the incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders […]
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Going home with a premature infant
Going home with a premature infant As the time for discharge approaches, parents are encouraged to be more involved in the care of their infant. Most families have had contact with a social worker and their psychosocial needs assessed. At most hospitals there is a discharge planner who assists the family in the transition to […]
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Parental involvement during infant hospitalisation
Parental involvement during infant hospitalisation In recent years efforts have been made to facilitate parents’ participation in the care of their infants through the introduction of such programs as the Newborn Individualised Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) (Als, 1982, 1986, 1991) and family-centred neonatal care (Sizun, Ratynski & Boussard, 1999; Symington & Pinelli, 2003). […]
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Usual hospital care of the premature infant
Usual hospital care of the premature infant If a woman shows signs of going into premature labour, every effort is made to ensure the best outcome for mother and baby. Effort is made to postpone the labour with bed rest and medication, prepare the foetus for delivery with drugs to strengthen the lungs and/or transport […]
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Neurological outcomes of prematurity
Neurological outcomes Neonatal intensive care has advanced considerably since the late 1980s, with a subsequent decline in mortality but the rate of moderate to severe disability has remained relatively stable at around 8–10 per cent, while other neurodevelopmental conditions continue to be identified, for example, sensory impairment (Browne, 2003). A recent study by Brisch (2003) […]
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Why do premature births occur?
Why do premature births occur? Many factors are associated with premature birth but causative mechanisms are little understood (Stratton, 1982). Premature births are more common in situations of ‘lower socioeconomic status’ with strong association with factors such as poor ante-natal care, inadequate diet, smoking, drug taking and teenage pregnancy. However, premature birth also occurs to […]
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Premature births in Australia
Premature births in Australia The incidence of prematurity, that is, infants born at less than 37 weeks’ gestation, is about 10 per cent of all live births. However, about 1.4 per cent of all annual live births in the United States are infants born less than 1500 grams, referred to as very low birthweight (VLBW), […]
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NEWBORN NEUROBEHAVIOURAL DEVELOPMENT
NEWBORN NEUROBEHAVIOURAL DEVELOPMENT The importance of the infancy period has been clearly established and emphasised in earlier chapters of this book. The infant’s genetic make-up, constitutional factors and birth experience will influence early behaviour and the caregiving received. The capacity of the parents and other caregivers to sensitively respond to the subtle cues of the […]
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Weighing up risk and protective factors
Weighing up risk and protective factors Assessment of an individual or family at this time involves consideration of: • biological factors—for example, medical concerns for the mother or foetus such as genetic risk • psychological and interpersonal factors—adaptive and coping mechanisms, past psychiatric and obstetric history, resolution of trauma and loss, and relationship quality • […]
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