Effectiveness of parent-infant book reading on parental stress in fathers with hospitalized neonates.

Parent-infant book reading has been studied in detail regarding its benefits to NICU infants. It fosters language exposure and cognitive and emotional development in a population particularly vulnerable to neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus far, research has studied parental stress only as a predictor variable for future parent reading behaviors. While much of the empirical evidence suggests that parents of NICU infants experience stress as well, most research concludes that the further direction of research must focus on providing caregiving opportunities to reduce parental stress due to parental role alteration.  Since shared reading has established benefits to the infant, it helps the parents feel they are contributing and participating in caring for their infant, thus providing an opportunity for the father to perform their parental role by engaging in caregiving activities. This study aims to determine if parental stress levels are reduced before and after parent-infant book reading.