DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/74S7-DR31
Defense Date
2010
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Counseling Psychology
First Advisor
Marilyn Stern
Abstract
With over 400,000 infants being hospitalized in the NICU annually, it is important to understand adjustment in their mothers. Taylor’s cognitive theory of adaptation asserts that three factors, meaning making, control, and self-enhancement, influence positive adjustment in a crisis situation such as a NICU hospitalization. Since it has never been examined, the purpose of the current study was to test the utility of Taylor’s model in mothers with an infant in the NICU. Data was collected from mothers with an infant in the NICU (N = 181) and the main hypothesis was that meaning making, control, and self-enhancement would explain a significant portion of variance in depression scores in mothers with an infant in the NICU. Results from this study did not support this hypothesis. Still, this study is important in guiding future research to better understand the adjustment process of mothers with an infant in the NICU.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
December 2010