低出生体重児を育てる母親に対する保健師の支援の意図に関する記述的研究

Descriptive Study of Public Health Nurses Intention in Supporting Mothers with Low Birth Weight Infants

要旨

目的：低出生体重児を育てる母親に対する保健師の支援の意図を記述する．

方法：保健師9名に半構造的インタビューを実施し，保健師の支援の意図を質的記述的に分析した．

結果：低出生体重児を育てる母親に対する保健師の支援の意図は，【母親が脆弱な子という思いに捉われず，その子らしさを大切にできる】，【母親が育児にすべてを捧げずに，生活の中に自然に組み込める】，【母親が地域を安心した居場所とし，継続した育児ができる】であり，保健師は，これらを意図した支援を相互に関連させながら，母親が育児をしやすい状態にしていた．

考察：保健師は，母親の脆弱な子という思いを意識しながら複合的な視点で支援していた．そして，母親の子どもの見方を広げること，生活になじむ育児方法をつくりだすこと，育児をしやすい環境をつくりだすことを意図した支援を行っていた．これらは，保健師の低出生体重児の母親支援の特徴を明らかにしたものであり，今後，低出生体重児を育てる母親支援の指標として活用できる可能性があると考える．

Purpose: The object of this study was to describe public health nurses (PHNs) intention for supporting mothers with low birth weight infants.

Methods: Data were collected using semi-structured interview from nine PHNs. Interview data were analyzed qualitatively and subjected to descriptive analysis.

Result: Intention of support by PHNs was classified into three major categories: (1) “preventing mothers from getting caught-up in thoughts and feelings that her child is vulnerable and enabling mothers to value their child's individuality”, (2) “enabling mothers to spontaneously incorporate child-care into their life and not devote all of their resources to child-care”, and (3) “enabling mothers to child-care continuously in their living area in a relaxed manner”. PHNs supports were mutually associated to assist mothers in attaining easeful child-care.

Discussion: PHNs were mindful to be aware of mother's thoughts and feelings about having a vulnerable child so they could provide support from a multidimensional perspective. Therefore PHNs provided support with these intentions: (1) to support mothers in broadening their perspective about their child, (2) to create child-care that fit in with their life, and (3) to adjust or modify their environment to become easeful for child-care. These results described the features of supporting mothers with low birth weight infants and can be used as indicators for supporting mothers with low birth weight infants.