Neonatal hearing screening - maternal attitudes and anxiety

Maternal anxiety in the event of a false positive result is an argument aga inst universal hearing screening in newborns. The aim of this study was to investigate the mothers' attitudes towards neonatal hearing screening and t heir anxiety in case of a positive result. The study comprises 75 mothers. Using a standardized interview 40 mothers w ere questioned, 38 of whom already knew about this type of health check. De spite the possibility of a false positive result 33 mothers consented to th e general newborn hearing screening. The positive attitude towards screenin g was associated with knowledge about the test and presence during its perf ormance. Of 20 additional mothers who were interviewed about their anxiety following a positive result their baby had received on the first test, only 2 declar ed to be very worried. Of 15 additional mothers whose babies had failed the screening,4 mothers were worried, 2 of whom stated that they had not been well enough informed about the screening. Both scepticism towards neonatal hearing screening and anxiety following a positive result were associated with lack of information and absence during testing.