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Aim: To describe fathers' lived experiences of caring for their preterm infant at the neonatal unit and in hospitalbased neonatal home care after the introduction of an individualised parental support programme. Method: Seven fathers from a larger study were included due to their rich narrative interviews about the phenomenon under study. The interviews took place after discharge from neonatal home care. The theoretical perspective was descriptive phenomenology. Giorgi's outlines for phenomenological analysis were used. Findings The general structure of the phenomenon was described by the following four themes: The partner was constantly present in the fathers' minds; The fathers' were occupied by worries and concerns; The fathers felt that they were an active partner to the professionals and Getting the opportunity to take responsibility. The fathers were satisfied with the support and treatment during their infant's hospitalisation. However, there were times when they felt excluded and not fully responsible for their infant. The fathers prioritised the mother, thus ignoring their own needs. Furthermore, they worried about their infant's health and the alteration of their parental role. Neonatal home care was experienced as a possibility to regain control over family life. Conclusion: The general structure of fathers' experiences highlights the importance of professionals becoming more responsive to fathers' needs and to tailoring support to fathers by focusing on their individual experiences and needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim was to translate the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ( PSS: NICU) into the Swedish language and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version. Method The PSS: NICU was translated into Swedish using the process of forward-backward translation. Thereafter, an internal panel of neonatal nurses (n = 10) assessed face and content validity and a panel of parents (n = 10) assessed content validity. A sample of 95 parents recruited from three different neonatal units completed the PSS: NICU and answered some open-ended questions in which they could comment on language and wording. There were eight new items in the PSS: NICU, compared with the very first version of the instrument. These had not been psychometrically tested previously. In this study, the subscales and total scale were analysed both with and without the new items to determine whether or not to use them. Psychometric properties including internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha (if item deleted) and corrected item total were evaluated. Result The result indicates that the Swedish version of PSS: NICU, both with and without the nonvalidated items, has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used in clinical practice in NICUs in Sweden. Conclusion In order to meet the psychological needs of parents, healthcare professionals need to identify risk factors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that contribute to stress amongst parents. The Swedish version of the PSS: NICU can be used for this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]