The Effect of Spiritual Care on Stress Levels of Mothers in NICU

Abstract

Hospitalization of an infant is a difficult situation for the family, and parents require support from the health care team during this difficult time. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of spiritual care on levels of stress in mothers with infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. This spiritual care study was performed by comparing control and spiritual care pre- and posttest groups. The study population included 62 mothers. The Mother–Baby Introductory Information Form and the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS:NICU) were used for data collection. Prior to spiritual care, no significant difference was found between the mothers’ PSS:NICU scores, whereas following spiritual care, there was a significant difference between PSS:NICU scores of the mothers, in favor of the spiritual care group ( p < .05). Findings indicate that nurses should be aware and consider the spiritual needs of mothers and must identify and meet these needs.