Effects of formal support on mothers' adaptation to the hospital-to-home transition of high-risk infants: the benefits and costs of helping

94 mothers were randomly assigned to a control group or to a group who received a formal support program designed to aid their adaptation to the transition from hospital to home care of high-risk infants. Mothers' predischarge need for support and the severity of infants' predischarge medical problems moderated program effects assessed 6 months after NICU discharge. Positive effects of the program on mothers' sense of competence, perceived control, and responsiveness were evident for mothers who had needed the most support. But at low levels of need for support, participation in the program had negative effects on these outcomes. A similar pattern was found for the effects of the program on mothers' positive mood as a function of the severity of infants' medical problems. Secondary findings suggest why some mothers may benefit from formal support after NICU discharge and others may experience at least temporary disruptions in their adaptation from such support.