嬰兒哭鬧不安之問題與處置

The Problems and Management of Excessive Crying and Fussing in Infants

正常健康的嬰兒不乏發生難以安撫的哭鬧不安，為數不少家庭面臨此困擾，嬰兒哭鬧不安除了造成嬰兒的睡眠問題外，亦對家庭生活產生衝擊；通常照顧者企圖以猛烈搖晃方式安撫，造成嬰兒建康的危害。西方醫學通常賦予「嬰兒腸絞痛」之診斷，且重視「嬰兒哭泣持續時間」與「照顧者的痛苦感受」二項重點。本文對於嬰兒哭鬧不安的定義與測量方法進行相關文獻探討，並說明相關導因與處置，期望增進護理人員對此議題的了解，以協助嬰兒的照顧者達到有效的因應措施。

Excessive crying and fussing in young infants, often called ”infantile colic”, is a common and often serious problem for parents. It is also associated with infant sleep disturbance and possible disruptions in family life. As such, parents may undertake a variety of actions to stop excessive infant crying, some of which may be detrimental to infant health (e.g., physical shaking). Despite its potentially substantial negative health consequences, there remains no consensus regarding a definitive definition of excessive crying. Available definitions mostly focus on infant crying duration and its effect on parents. A number of different definitions, measurements, causes of crying, and settling management are presented in this article to help foster an understanding of this issue among nurses and to assist parents to cope effectively.