The long-term objectives of the proposed study are to augment the current understanding of the effect of home apnea monitoring on families; to increase the ability of health care providers to provide anticipatory guidance; and to facilitate the planning of appropriate support services for families. The study is also likely to have implications for other high tech pediatric home care.
The specific aim of the proposed study is to investigate the relationship between home apnea monitoring of infants and patterns of family life. The study question posed for the investigation is as follows: Do families whose infants are on home apnea monitors have patterns of family life that differs from families of infants who are not monitored? The study draws on a family systems conceptual framework to examine the relationship between home apnea monitoring of infants and selected aspects of family life, including family functions and obligations, family member interactions and relationships, family member roles and behaviors, and family interactions with the social milieu. A cross-sectional design will be used to compare the family life of monitored infants with that of individually matched non- monitored infants across these dimensions. Instruments with known and acceptable psychometric properties will be used in a combination of telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires. Data analysis will begin with descriptive statistics; internal consistency reliability of selected instruments will be examined; group differences will be examined using a t-test or Chi square; and multivariate regression is likely to be used to control for confounders.
