The purpose of this study is to identify relationship between parental stress and nurse''s communication perceived by parents of high risk newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Study design was a descriptive correlational study using survey methods. Participants were 54 parents of high risk newborns who had been hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit of K university hospital located in Seoul. Data were collected from January to March 2018. The questionnaire was composed of high risk newborn and their parents’ general characteristics, parental stress and nurse''s communication ability and styles perceived by parents of high risk newborns. The collected data were analyzed with number and percentage, mean and standard deviation, t-test and one-way ANOVA, Pearson''s correlation by using SPSS 23.0 Program.

Findings of this study are as follows.
1) Parents of high risk newborns reported their stress score was averaged in 3.39±0.95 on a 5-point Likert scale. The nurse''s communication ability perceived by parents of high risk newborns was 4.38±0.50 on a 5-point Likert scale. The nurse’s communication styles perceived by parents of high risk newborns were friendly communication style, informative communication style, and authoritative communication style, respectively.

2) Nurse''s informative communication style and nurse''s authoritative communication style were significantly different by type of delivery in newborn''s general characteristics. Nurse''s friendly communication style was significantly different by feeding methods.

3) Parents stress and nurse''s communication styles were significantly different between mothers and fathers. Monthly income was another influencing factor in nurse''s communication ability and nurse''s communication styles.

4) Parental stress in this study showed negative correlation with nurse''s verbal communication ability (r=-.346, p=.010). In specific, stress induced by environment in neonatal intensive care unit (r=-.354, p=.009), by baby looks and behaviors, and treatments in the neonatal intensive care unit (r=-.346, p=.010). One of subcategories in parental stress, which induced by environment of the neonatal intensive care unit, had negative correlation with nurse''s friendly communication style (r=-.335, p=.013).

In conclusion, parents of high risk newborns demonstrated the lower stress induced by environment, baby looks and behaviors, and treatments in neonatal intensive care unit as the higher nurse''s verbal communication ability and the more friendly communication style. Therefore, nurses need to offer proper information for parents to understand the environment, and their baby looks and behaviors, and treatments in neonatal intensive care units. In addition, nurse should support newborn''s parents by encouraging them to express their emotions of stress and by providing with therapeutic communication such as listening and sympathetic communication and opportunities for parents to participate in their newborns'' nursing process.